In This Together
by GreenPurpleBlack
Summary: Rogue/Logan. My imagination gone wild, altering the storylines of the movies. Summary sucks, sorry. AU. No review No continue. VERY slow burning. And I mean very.
1. Chapter 1

**OK. I've admired the Rogue/Logan pairing from afar for a while now, and over the past week have been devouring a few of the various fanfics to that pairing, and thought, okay, let's give that a try!**

**So far it's following a bit of X1's storyline, but I'm planning to mash X2 and X3 in there as well. And yeah, I realize a few details may be off... blame it on creative license, eh? ;)**

**So, yeah, I don't own X-Men or any characters from it, which sucks, but what's a girl to do?**

* * *

Logan took in the girl sitting at the counter before him. She was staring longingly at the tip jar that had been pushed away from her. She wore a green hooded cloak, with brown gloves. In fact, the only skin she was showing was her neck (and only part of it – she was wearing a scarf) and face. It was cold where they were, granted, but all that was just a _little_ extreme.

He ordered a beer and sipped it, discreetly studying the girl. She smelled strongly of fear and exhaustion. Her gaze, which was previously directed at the dirty counter-top and the floor, snapped up to the small TV as the reporter spoke the word 'mutants'.

_Ah._ Logan thought, taking another sip. Her story was narrowed down to two options; Option number one was that she was intensely mutant-phobic. The second option, slightly more likely, was that she was a mutant herself.

His musings were interrupted by voices behind him.

"You owe me some money." Logan recognized the voice as belonging to one of the people he fought earlier that day, in the cage. He heard the guys friend try to dissuade him from arguing. It didn't work.

"No-one takes a beating like that without a mark to show for it." The man persisted. He leaned in close to Logan, whispering, "I know what you are..."

Logan stiffened. "You lost your money. You keep this up, you'll lose something else."

The disgruntled fighter leaned back, and the next thing Logan heard was a shrill scream from the girl a few seats away: "Look out!"

In a blur, the man was pinned to the wall by Logan, his fist a few inches from his throat. With a _snikt!_ that sounded very loud in the almost-empty bar, three metal blades emerged from Logan's fist, the middle one pushing against the would-be attacker's neck. For a few moments, no-one moved. Then the barrel of a shotgun was pressed against Logan's head by the bartender, who said, "Get outta my bar, freak!" in a voice that was supposed to be intimidating, but a slight tremor betrayed the fact.

More silence, as everyone in the bar waited to see what would happen. No-one dared move, until another _snikt!_ and the sound of metal on metal. Logan had swung his other fist around, slicing the tip of the shotgun off, leaving it to clatter to the ground, followed by gunpowder. Now his claws were aimed at both the bartender, and the man he had fought earlier.

He glanced between the two, growling. His gaze then settled on the girl from earlier, who was staring back, with a deer-in-headlights expression. She looked almost enchanted, under the initial fearful expression.

A few more tension-filled moments passed, before Logan dropped his arms, and walked out the door.

Once at his old, beat-up campervan, Logan yanked open the door and got in, slamming it behind him. He turned the keys, his expression turning from angry to defeated. He sighed, and held his fist in his other hand.

_These old things,_ he thought affectionately, before continuing on his road trip to nowhere.

After a while on the road, Logan thought he heard something. He pulled over, and stalked towards his trailer on the back of his campervan.

_That's weird._ He thought, taking in the person-shaped lump under the tarp he kept in the trailer. He prodded it. It felt vaguely like a shoulder. Testing his shoulder theory, he gave the tarp a tug, revealing the girl from the bar, huddled up, clutching a large brown duffel bag. He raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked. The girl blushed a little, casting her gaze to the ground.

"I-I'm sorry. I needed a ride. I thought you might help me." She stammered, a thick southern accent showing through her words. Logan narrowed his eyes at the young girl, but then sighed.

"Fine. Get in." He said gruffly, jerking his head towards the car. The girl grinned, and jumped out of the trailer aptly, dragging her duffel bag with her as she made her way to the vehicle.

After starting the vehicle again, Logan drove for a while in silence, before the girl asked, "What's your name?"

"What's it matter?" he asked. The girl shrugged.

"It doesn't, I s'pose, but I'd like to know the name of the man who saved me."

"Saved you?" Logan glanced towards the teen. She nodded, examining the gloves she wore.

"Yeah, I don't know when I could've gotten another ride." She said, biting her lip. Logan frowned.

"Hey, you got anything to eat?" the girl piped up eagerly. Wordlessly, Logan opened the glove compartment and handed her a packet of featureless meat product. Ripping off her gloves, the girl tore into it hungrily, savouring each bite she shoved into her mouth.

"My name's Logan." Logan offered, once she had finished eating. The girl smiled.

"Rogue." She said. Logan raised an eyebrow. Rogue rubbed her hands together in an effort to warm them. Noticing this, Logan turned on the heater, and reached for Rogue's hands. She snatched them back.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, kid." Logan said. Rogue shook her head.

"It's nothin' personal..." she said. "It's just, when people touch my skin, somethin'... happens." Logan nodded. _Mutant, then._ He thought.

"Fair enough." He muttered, lighting a cigar. Rogue stared out the window for a while, before muttering, "Thanks, Logan."

"What for?" Logan asked before he could stop himself. This girl made him forget being distant, and start talking. He didn't usually like talking.

"For givin' me a ride. For givin' me somethin' to eat. For bein' nice." She turned to him and smiled weakly. Logan shook his head.

"Sure." He said, driving onwards.

They drove in silence for an hour or so before coming upon a small gas station and town. Rogue repositioned herself, looking around wildly –she had been asleep.

"Stay here, kid." He said, before getting out of the car, and going into the gas station. Rogue nodded, watching him walk away.

She sighed. Even though she had been out on the road for months, she couldn't help but miss her parents. Back in Meridian, Mississippi, in that old two-storey house, her mother playing scales while she was in her room, planning her big road trip... Her mind replayed the most terrifying moment of her life so far.

Her boyfriend leaned in, and she leaned in, and as their lips met, she couldn't help but think that this was the best moment in the world... Until she felt a weird tingly numbness on her lips, and pulled back. Her boyfriend fell back against the bed, twitching, his veins sticking out... She screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed...

"Kid! Kid, wake up! Rogue!" Rogue felt something shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Logan leaning over her, looking concerned. She must've fallen asleep.

"Kid, are you alright?" Logan asked. Rogue nodded.

"Yeah, I just had a nightmare, is all." Logan looked doubtful. "You were screaming." He said. Rogue sighed.

"I'm sorry, Logan. It's just... nothin'." She shook her head again. "absolutely nothin'. Let's just keep on drivin', okay?" Rogue asked, staring straight ahead. Logan glanced once more at the troubled teen beside him before starting the car again.

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**So, shall I continue? I mean, this is definitely not indended as a one-shot, but I don't wanna keep on uploading if no-one's gonna read. So here's my rule for each and every chapter, if it gets that far: No review, no continue.**

**So, if ya like this, just go on and _hit that green button!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men. If I did, I'd have many Adamantium-claw shaped scars and be lying dead on the ground. I'm not very nice to my characters, it seems... Although torture is fun :P**

**Warning: Major squealing fangirl-esque moment coming up. Right aboouuuuuttt... there!  
**

**Thankyouthankyouthankyou so so so much for the reviews and story alerts and I need to breathe soon or I won't be able to continue giggling and rambling like this. *breathes* OK, better.**

**But seriously, guuuyyyyyysss!! I seriously didn't expect _any_ reviews, let alone four, and one just a few hours after I posted the first chapter! Aww! You guys are seriously so cool! So, with no further ado, this chapter shall be dedicated to you guys, who have made me insanely happy :'D**

* * *

After a few uncomfortable hours in the car, Rogue spoke up.

"So, Logan, what's your favourite colour?" Logan glanced at Rogue sceptically.

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yeah." Rogue nodded, smiling. Logan shrugged.

"I don't really know, kid. Never given it much thought."

Rogue laughed. "How can you not? What else is there to think of on a road trip?" Logan smiled bemusedly.

"Driving, mainly." He said. Rogue giggled. "Well, duh. Speaking of which, though... where are we goin'?"

"I... haven't given that much though, either." Logan admitted. Rogue rolled her eyes.

"But those are the two things – 'sides drivin', of course – that you think about on a road trip!" she exclaimed. Logan laughed.

"Okay, then. Here." Logan searched around in his pockets before withdrawing a worn map. He handed it to Rogue. "Pick out our destination."

Rogue plucked the map from Logan's hands tentatively, first checking that her hands were gloved. That nightmare from earlier had really taken its toll.

"There." Rogue pointed to one of the many faded towns on Logan's map. "Anchorage."

"Anchorage?" Logan echoed. "What's in Anchorage?"

"Well, that's for us to find out, now, isn't it?" she smiled cheekily. "'sides, I always wanted to go to Anchorage, before I... found out." Rogue's smile vanished and she grew sullen again. Logan sighed.

"Sorry, kid, didn't mean to pry." He apologized. Rogue shook her head.

"No, I need to say it. I'm a mutant. There." She glared at the road ahead. Logan could smell tears threatening to spill. She seemed angry.

"Do you...do you want to talk about it?" Logan asked, unsure as to why he was even doing so; he never liked listening, so why start now?

Rogue paused for a long while, before saying, "A few months ago, I kissed a boy. He... Somehow, he ended up in a coma, for three weeks. I nearly killed him with a touch." She closed her eyes, letting one tear escape.

"The worst part is, I could see all his memories, an' almost... feel him inside my head." She smiled wryly. "I sound crazy, I know."

Logan shook his head. "I'm sorry, kid. Sounds tough."

"Oh, you have no idea. I'm always so scared I'm gonna hurt someone, so I wear gloves and my coat all the time. An' I have nowhere to go." She said quietly. Logan reached out and put a hand on her fully covered shoulder reassuringly.

"Thanks again, Logan. You're the only one who wouldn't run screamin' from me."

Logan smiled weakly.

"Can't run from my own kind." He muttered as they continued to drive.

***

Professor Charles Xavier opened his eyes suddenly with a small gasp. He lifted the helmet of Cerebro off of his head and moved his wheelchair out of the room. There, outside the big, empty room he was just in, he faced three of the mutants he had taken under his wing so many years ago.

There was Jean Grey, with her mutation giving her telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Scott Summers, codename: Cyclops, who shot beams of energy out of his eyes. And Storm, real name Ororo Munroe, who could control weather.

"You were right, Jean; there is a mutant out there with the ability to absorb another persons life force." The Professor announced. Jean nodded.

"I thought so. That boy in Meridian's injuries seemed very unique, almost as if someone had drained his energy. And the last thing he remembers is kissing a girl, and that girl suddenly disappears...?" she shook her head. "There's no such thing as coincidence in this world."

Storm nodded grimly.

"So, are we going to find this girl?" Scott asked. The Professor nodded.

"Yes, Scott. I believe that we must bring the girl here so she might be able to learn to use her powers responsibly. Right now she would be scared, lonely, and desperate."

Jean grimaced. "The perfect situation for Magneto to take advantage of."

"My thoughts exactly." The Professor said. "Scott, ready the jet. Storm, Jean, suit up; you need to track down this girl before Magneto gets ahold of her."

Rogue woke up again, to find herself alone in the campervan. Logan had stopped the car at the side of the road, and was talking to some people up ahead.

Rogue undid her seatbelt, and got out to join him, not liking the thought of being alone when it was so dark around her.

"Logan!" she called when she neared him. Logan turned around to face her, along with the three people he was talking to; one red-head, a dark skinned woman with white hair, and a man with an odd sort of visor over his eyes.

"Rogue." Logan said as Rogue came up beside her.

"What's goin' on here?" she asked. The red-head spoke.

"My name is Jean Grey, and I wanted to talk to you about your mutant abilities."

Rogue's eyes widened in fear and she glanced at Logan. Logan shrugged.

"I didn't say anything, kid. They knew."

This made Rogue even more afraid. "How did you know where I was?" she asked.

"Maybe I need to start over. My name is Jean Grey, and these are some of my fellow X-Men, a team of mutants who devote their lives to an attempt to maintain a relatively peaceful world." Jean said. Rogue frowned, and moved to hide behind Logan.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?" she asked.

"Watch." Jean raised her hand, raising a few stones into the air as she did so. They hovered there for a few moments, before dropping to the ground. The man raised a hand to the side of his visor and turned his head to a tree. For a few moments a red beam erupted from his eyes, and a branch dropped to the ground. The white-haired woman frowned slightly, a look of concentration on her face, as her eyes turned fully white, and her hair flew around her. It started to rain on a concentrated area; Logan's campervan.

"You see, Rogue, we're not here to hurt you. We want to help you gain control of your abilities." Jean said softly.

"Wait – what do you know of my 'abilities'?" Rogue asked suspiciously. The one who controlled the weather stepped forward slightly, a sorrowful expression on her face.

"We met your friend, back in Meridian, in the hospital." She said. Rogue shook her head.

"I don't understand!" she cried. "Why me? What do you want from me?"

"We don't want anything _from_ you," Jean said. "We want things _for_ you. You're seventeen years old, Rogue. Surely you don't want to spend the rest of your life aimlessly wandering from place to place?"

Rogue bit her lip, frowning.

"I don't think I want to go." She finally announced. Jean sighed.

"Just think of the opportunities, Rogue, that you're missing. We can't guarantee that you'll ever be able to touch, but we promise to try our hardest to help you."

Rogue just shook her head.

"No, I don't want to."

"Rogue--"

Logan interrupted whatever Jean was about to say with a sudden _snikt!_ sound. He stood in a protective stance, his claws gleaming in the relative darkness.

"She said she didn't want to go." He snarled.

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**So, what didja think? Good? Bad? In between? Sideways? Please tell me, 'coz, as before, no review = no continue. Sorry, guys, that's just gonna be my policy from now on. I don't wanna be uploading and stuff for no reason.**

**So, yeah! Hopefully you like it. Regardless, I'll be writing, just in case ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like for you to imagine an absurdly happy face. Now, put freckles on that face and give it frizzy red hair and blue eyes. That is me right now. THANK YOU ALL MY REVIEWERS! You are the ones putting a smile on my face :'D**

**Ahh, I'm extremely pleased with the amount of people reviewing. Keep it up, guys, and you'll really motivate me to write. This is a kinda short chapter, but that's just because I can't fit any more words in, and I need to plan in extreme detail what's gonna happen next. Because that's what I did. Not quite happy with how this one turned out, ended up re-writing it TWICE, but meh. Here ya go.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own X-Men, Wolverine, Logan nor Rogue, and I don't own any matching socks.**

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The silence was broken by the man wearing a visor. His gaze, although hidden behind the red-tinted glass, was clearly transfixed on Logan's claws.

"Holy shit." He muttered. Jean's eyes were wide as she nodded slightly.

"Yeah, we weren't expecting that." She said slowly. The woman who controlled the weather was the only one of the X-Men to remain calm, and even _she_ seemed a little freaked out.

"Rogue." She locked her gaze on the young girl standing behind Logan. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Her voice was kind and compassionate. Rogue shrugged.

"I… I don't really think so." She said softly. Logan remained tense, still glaring at the Jean and the man, who had now averted their eyes from his claws and were instead captivated by the angry expression Logan wore. He growled at them, advancing a half step.

"Are you really--" the pretty dark-skinned woman started, but was interrupted by Logan's attentions suddenly turning to her.

"The kid doesn't want to go." He hissed, his stance rigid and tense. Rogue hesitated slightly, then nodded.

"Logan's right. I don't think I'm really ready to go anywhere yet. But thanks for offerin', guys, I really 'preciate it." she added. As the trio of mutants collectively sighed in defeat, Logan relaxed slightly, making his stance more neutral, his claws disappearing back into his arms. Rogue smiled at him. "You ready to go now, Logan?"

With one more hostile glance at the mutants, Logan nodded. "Ready when you are." He slung an arm around the young girl's shoulder protectively and walked with her back to the campervan.

***

Back at the mansion, Professor Xavier studied the expressions of Storm, Scott and Jean as they stood in his office, heads hanging as if they were children getting in trouble.

"Well?" he said, raising an eyebrow. He knew, of course, what had happened; Jean had filled him in using her telepathy. But he felt he needed to hear it from all three viewpoints., and he stood by his decision many years ago not to search into other's minds without their consent, except in a case of extreme emergency.

"We found her." Storm said, smiling weakly. "She was travelling with someone."

Scott frowned at the mention of Logan; something about Logan just unnerved him. "Who turned out to be pretty dangerous himself." Scott muttered.

"He had these… claws, coming out of his fist." Jean said, shaking her head. "And then when he somehow retracted them, there was no blood, no scars, nothing."

"And just what is he doing with a 17 year old girl?" Scott asked, sounding disgusted.

"I'm sure it's not like that," Storm said. "She could have come with us, and she didn't."

"Yeah, but did you see the claws on that guy? I could've sworn he was going to gut us."

"So you think she could've been held against her will?" Storm asked.

"I suppose, maybe. There's no way of knowing, but--"

"Woah, woah, guys, this is getting out of hand; we don't even know if that's the case!" Jean interrupted Scott and Storm's discussion, which was bordering on disturbing. Jean turned to the Professor. "What do you think we should do?"

"I don't think we should act against the girls wishes," Xavier replied. "So for now all we can do is keep an eye on her."

***

Logan and Rogue drove along the road in a companiable sort of quiet, with Rogue humming to herself every now and again, playing with her hair absent-mindedly.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" Logan asked suddenly. Rogue jumped and stared at him.

"What?" she blinked, startled. Logan sighed.

"You're seriously thinking about joining those geeks."

"Well, yeah." Rogue mumbled. She started fiddling with her fingers. "I mean, it'd be kinda nice to learn to control my powers. I wanna be able to touch people again, Logan." She glanced at her travelling companion through the thick curtain of hair that had fallen over her eyes.

"I'm not judging you, kid." Logan said quietly. "I wouldn't blame you if you did. I just want to know if I should take you back to them."

Rogue frowned at the windscreen for a few moments, confused. She hadn't known him long, but she could tell that this wasn't normal behaviour for Logan. "Wait, how would you even know where to take me?" she asked.

"Before you woke up, the freaky weather chick told it was in Westchester, at Xavier's school for 'gifted youngsters' or something."

"Huh. Well, I don't know, really." Rogue admitted. "I'm still in two minds about it."

"Well whatever you decide." Logan said.

"Thanks, Logan. I'll hold you to that." She smiled. Logan smiled too.

"Alright, kid." He said, before returning his attentions to the road. "I can't believe she cleaned this thing." He groaned. Rogue laughed.

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**Well, that's all for now, folks. Don't forget to review, so I'll keep on posting! Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in a while... I needed to re-acquaint myself with the events of X2, so I borrowed it from the local DVD store, but then I saw a few discs of X-Men: Evolution, which I used to watch when I was little, and I borrowed those, so I've been watching loads of those episodes, and you don't really care, do you? You just want the story. *sigh* Fine, then, I suppose I'll give it to you ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: X-Men isn't mine. Rogue isn't mine. Logan isn't mine (although I wouldn't mind it if he were). I do, however, have a whole bottle of maple syrup right by my side :D**

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Logan and Rogue drove in silence again for a while. Before long, they found themselves at a small, pathetic excuse for a town; a few houses and a convenience store. Logan decided to go in, to stock up on a few necessities.

"You coming?" He asked, pausing a few steps away from his campervan. Rogue grinned and jumped out of her side, half-running towards the man she'd been traveling with.

Once inside the store, Logan headed straight for the beer, grabbing a few things like bread and a newspaper or two on his way. Somehow, Rogue was not surprised that Logan stocked up on a lot of beer.

Rogue glanced at the headlines of the newspaper that Logan placed on the counter to buy, thinking wistfully back to when she used to read bits and pieces of articles that sounded interesting.

"You need anything, kid?" Logan asked suddenly, breaking Rogue out of her reverie. Rogue thought about it for a few moments, before darting back through the few barely-stocked shelves at the conveniece store. She came back holding a bottle of maple syrup in her small, gloved hands. Logan raised an eyebrow at her choice, but placed it on the counter with the rest of the things anyway, before paying for it.

"I wasn't expecting maple syrup." Logan said, once they were back on the road. Rogue laughed.

"Well, it's been so long since I've had any, and I figured it might be nice to have somethin' sweet with us." She explained.

"Still, I was expecting you to choose something more like, I don't know, a lollipop or something." Rogue laughed again.

"With all due respect for lollipop lovers, I'm not five, Logan!" she giggled. "And their lollipop selection sucked."

Logan raised his eyebrows, glancing at the brown haired teenager beside him. "I thought it was all simple. I mean, it's just a sweet, after all…"

And so, they got into a long discussion on impulse buys and quality of merchandising.

***

Soon it was dark, and Logan seemed tired.

"Logan, you should stop. You're lookin' really tired. You should get some rest." Rogue said. Logan took a deep breath and opened his eyes wider, as if to indicate that he was still fully awake, but pulled over anyway.

"Yeah. Thanks, kid." He said, making his way to the back of the campervan. In the small, slightly dirty space there was a jumble of clothing and a few blankets and pillows.

"Uh…" Logan said, squinting at the back of his trailer. He bent down and examined the blankets from a closer perspective, and handed the warmest ones to Rogue, along with a clean-looking pillow. "Here. Take these."

"Thanks, Logan." Rogue smiled, starting to arrange a makeshift bed with what she had been handed. Once both Rogue and Logan were tucked up in their respective tangles of blankets and a few pillows, the outside world seemed to quieten even more.

Soon, both mutants had drifted off into sleep.

***

Rogue woke in the middle of the night to the sounds of a one-sided struggle; Logan was having a nightmare.

She sat up in her makeshift bed and looked over at the man, whose face, even in the darkness, was clearly contorted into a mask of agony and frustration. She bit her lip anxiously, unsure as to what she should do.

"Logan. Logan,wake up. Logan!" she hissed, hastily pulling one of her gloves on and shaking Logan's shoulder. Logan moaned, and continued to toss and turn.

"Logan, please." Rogue muttered, touching his face gently with her gloved hand. Then, all of a sudden, Logan's eyes flew open and his expression grew furious. He shot up, and in doing so, his claws extended through his knuckles and into…_into Rogue._

With an angry scream, his eyes still unseeing in his night-terror, Logan retraced his claws and brought his fist down from the girl's chest and to his side. Then he blinked, and went cold as he realized what happened.

"Oh, God." He whispered in horror, staring transfixed as Rogue opened and closed her mouth struggling for air. She blinked hard a few times, making an odd, strangled sound.

"Oh my God, kid, I didn't mean to—Oh God, what have I done?" Logan muttered, helpless. The three identical stab wounds, that went all the way through her thin body, seemed even darker and redder in the little morning light that shone through the small windows of Logan's camper.

Rogue drew in a shaky, pained breath and mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry', before extending her bare hand to Logan's face.

Logan just blinked at her, confused, before the strong, overpowering pain starting filling his body, starting from where Rogue's hand lay on his cheek. Then a dry sucking sound filled his ears as the pain grew and Logan could feel his energy getting drained. But none of this mattered to him; he was watching as the three stab wounds that Logan had inflicted start to close up and heal, as if she were taking his power… _She was taking his power!_

Finally, once the holes had closed up fully, with a sob, Rogue tore her hand away from Logan's face. She could see his tortured memories, experience the horrifying nightmare he was just having, feel the feral anger that he had to suppress at all times.

"I'm so sorry, Logan. I had to." She said, tugging on the other glove as tears began to fall down her cheeks. She turned towards the convulsing form on the floor in front of her, propping his head up on a pillow.

"Thank you, Logan. For everythin'. I'm so sorry." Rogue breathed, absent-mindedly tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

That was the last thing that Logan heard or saw before his world went totally and completely _black_.

* * *

**Ooh, I bet you weren't expecting _that!_ What did you think of that scene, huh? Oh, and sorry it's written so weirdly... I don't have a lot of experience writing this sorta thing.**

**And I apologize for the whole 'maple syrup' thing... I couldn't think of any way to lengthen the chapter, and there was some syrup sitting _right there,_ and... yeah. I hope y'all aren't too mad at me.**

**Oh, and as before, no review = no continue.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Howdy, y'all! Yup, 's me again. Two updates in a day, I'm really on a roll! I forgot to thank all my wonderful reviewers in my last chapter, so here is a belated thank you. THANK YOU!**

**Now, this chapter is longer than the last one, which is mega-yayness, right? Of course right! *starts to hum **

**_Matchmaker_ from _Fiddler on the Roof_ - that awesome bit where they're pretending to be the matchmaker***

**Oh, yeah, and before I forget: These characters may be very OOC at times. This is not my-- okay, it _is _my fault. But, as many people state, this is fan_fiction_, emphasis on the _fiction _part (although the _fan_ part is pretty important, too). Anything goes!**

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own X-Men or any affiliated characters. Although, it_ is_ my birthday in a few months... ;)**

_

* * *

Jean,_ Professor Xavier telepathically contacted the other telepath. _I need you and Storm to go pick up a mutant._

Jean was already awake, reading a novel, which she placed on the table in the kitchen where she was sitting. She stood up and started heading towards the weather witch's room.

_Where?_ Jean responded through thought.

_She's a few miles east of Anchorage, but moving._ The Professor replied. Jean knocked on Storm's door. It opened to reveal Storm, fully dressed in her X-Men uniform.

"The Professor told me we had a job to do." She explained. Jean nodded, and the pair made their way towards one of the elevators.

_I must warn you; the girl is scared, desperate, and confused. You will need to be careful with her._ The Professor told them.

"Hey, is it just me, or is this sounding like--?" Jean started, once they were on the lower levels, heading to the X-Jet.

"Rogue." Storm agreed.

_It is indeed the young mutant Rogue that I need you to find._ The Professor thought to them.

"And Logan?" Jean asked.

_Logan will not be a problem._ The Professor said vaguely, as Jean and Storm flew off through the basketball court.

***

Rogue sat down against a tree in the cold, trying to make sense of her jumbled up mind.

_What's wrong with me?!_ She thought desperately. But then she heard that voice again, from inside her head.

_There's nothing wrong with you, kid._

Rogue jumped, and looked around, even though she knew it was useless. For hours now, ever since the incident in the camper, whenever Rogue had thought about something, she could hear Logan in her mind, feel what he would feel, and it scared her.

_Logan?_ Rogue tried for the first time to contact the Logan in her head.

_Yeah, kid?_

_Are you… are you in my head?_

_Yeah._

_Oh._ Rogue frowned. _Why?_

_You tell me. _Logan muttered unhelpfully.

_Are you still alive?!_ Rogue asked suddenly, her mental tone urgent. She could imagine Logan shrugging as he said, _I have no idea._

_How wouldn't you? You're you, ain't ya?_

It was at this point that the Logan in Rogue's head decided to stop speaking, much to Rogue's annoyance. As unnerving as she found it to have someone speak in her mind, she didn't want him to stop.

After a few moments of silence, Rogue heard another voice in her mind.

_Rogue?_ It was Jean's voice.

_Holy crap!_ Rogue yelled mentally, whispering something similar out loud. _What the hell! _Her mental-Logan said.

_Rogue, please remain calm._ Jean warned, as a jet suddenly lowered into Rogue's sight.

_Holy. Crap._ Rogue stated again in her mind, standing up. The aircraft touched down on the ground, and a ramp lowered down, touching the ground. Two young women walked out; Jean and the white-haired woman from before.

"You again?" Rogue blurted suddenly, before she could stop herself. Her tone, however, wasn't hers; it sounded more like something Logan would say.

_That's because it's me saying it._ Logan said.

_Oh, gee, that's not at all confusin'. _Rogue said sarcastically. She then turned her attentions onto where Jean and the other woman were walking towards her. The white haired woman smiled slightly.

"I take it you've reconsidered our offer?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Rogue nodded.

"Yeah. Jean made a lot of sense. I don't want to go through my life without bein' able to touch anyone." Rogue said. Jean nodded and smiled, reaching the teen and placing a gloved hand on her shoulder.

"You've made a good choice, Rogue. We'll take good care of you." She said.

***

The Professor waited in his office at the mansion, waiting for the mutants to arrive. It was a Saturday, so he didn't have any classes to tutor.

Soon and Jean walked through the door, followed by a shy-looking teenager.

"Proffesor," Storm smiled, "This is Rogue."

"Is this that proffesor-guy? The one you were tellin' me about?" Rogue asked, glancing up at Storm, who was clearly the favourite of the two women.

"Yes. This is Professor Charles Xavier." Storm motioned towards the Professor.

"It is nice to meet you, Rogue." The Professor smiled. Rogue ducked her head shyly.

"Same here, I s'pose." She muttered antisocially. The expression on her face indicated that she was concentrating on something. Curious, the Professor reached out to check what exactly the girl was focusing on so intently.

_I'm telling you, kid, you should get out of here. These geeks won't do you any good._ A male voice echoed through the girl's mind. The Professor mentally reeled back in surprise.

"Jean, Storm, you can leave. I would like to speak to the girl alone." The Professor said, still wondering about what the man's voice was doing in the girl's mind.

Rogue smiled at Jean and Storm as they left, but as soon as they did, her expression became determined. She turned to the Professor, taking a seat across from his desk.

"Storm told me you have some kinda special computer," she said, "that can see mutants."

"Yes, it's called Cerebro. It is how I found you." The Professor explained. Rogue brushed that comment aside.

"Can you find someone for me? His name's Logan, I was… I was travelin' with him, and then…" Rogue stopped and shut her eyes tightly. The Professor reached out again.

_How are you going to finish that sentence?_ The man's voice asked again, sounding slightly angry.

_Logan, I said I'm sorry. I had to do it._ Rogue shouted at the voice in her head. The Professor's brow furrowed with worry.

_Rogue? Are you alright?_ He asked, reaching into her mind.

_HOLY CRAP! Will you people stop invadin' my mind? _She mentally shouted. The Professor stepped back from the teen's mind.

"I'm sorry, Rogue." He said.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted. I… I just haven't been the same since I…" Rogue trailed off.

"Rogue? Can you tell me what convinced you to come here?"

"I'll tell ya, if you promise to search for Logan on your fancy computer." Rogue countered. The Professor smiled faintly.

"Agreed."

"Okay, then." Rogue drew a deep breath. "Well, I was picked up by Logan a while back…"

***

Half an hour, twenty-three clarifications and forty-seven "I see"s later, Rogue had finished telling her tale.

"Well." The Professor said, leaning back in his high-tech wheelchair. "I suppose we'd better get to Cerebro and see if Logan is alright without any medical attention."

As the Professor wheeled himself out of his office, Rogue followed behind him.

"Oh, I didn't think of callin' an ambulance!" she paled. The Professor shook his head as he progressed down the halls of the mansion.

"It's good that you didn't; their tests would have showed his claws, and that could prove disastrous."

"Oh." Rogue said, regaining a little colour in her cheeks.

Eventually, they came to a door. Behind which the Professor disappeared, to use Cerebro to find Logan and check on him.

_Oh, Logan, I hope you're okay,_ she thought.

_But I am._

_Not you. The real Logan._ Rogue clarified.

_Who says I'm not real? I'm real in your mind, aren't I?_

_You're confusing me now._ Rogue giggled mentally, glad for the distraction. A few minutes later, the Professor re-emerged from Cerebro.

"Logan is fine, well on the way to recovering. He is still unconscious, but his mind is still intact." The Professor said. Rogue breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Professor." She smiled tiredly.

"You're welcome, Rogue." He said.

_At least now I know you're alright, Logan. _Rogue thought.

* * *

**So, your thoughts on this chapter? A letdown? A -what's the opposite of a letdown?- letup? Please let me know!**

**No review, no continue. And if you're missin' Logan dearest, don'tcha worry; he'll be back soon ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**You know, for a second there, I was kinda scared that no-one was going to review! But then, I woke up this morning, and voila! More reviews. So, as your reward, you may have another chapter.**

**Also, the character of Kitty Pryde is established in this chapter. I just wanted to explain that she is not based on the movie's version, but the X-Men: Evolution character. 'Coz the X-Men: Evolution character is so much fun to write :p**

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own no nothin' or nobody. But I did go shopping this morning, so now I have new earrings! Yayyy!**

* * *

Logan groaned, his bones aching and his head throbbing. It felt like he had the mother of all hangovers.

"Uhh…" he moaned painfully, slowly sitting up. He glanced around his camper, seeing a few things that seemed… strange. For one, a small, green hooded cloak lay on the floor, right next to a net of blankets.

_Rogue._

The events of the previous night flooded back to Logan; the nightmare, waking up to see Rogue's pale face contorted with pain, her bare hand touching his cheek, the pain…

"Oh, God." Logan muttered, running his hands through his hair. He swept his all-seeing gaze over the campervan; Rogue was not there. Then he noticed the syrup bottle on the floor, a note taped to it.

_Logan,  
_

_I'm really sorry for hurting you. I didn't mean to, it was just instinct.  
Please forgive me. When you wake up I won't be here. I had to run._

_Rogue_

Logan sighed. He had probably scared her off. This made him sadder than it should have, but Logan decided to brush that fact aside. Instead he felt a need to find the girl again… to do what, exactly?

"I could apologize." Logan said to himself, starting the campervan. He nodded, pulling a cigar out of one of his numerous pockets and lighting it.

"Yeah, apologize for stabbing her. If she'll let me. Oh, God, what did I have to _stab_ her for?" Logan continued rambling as he started to drive. "I could've… I don't _always_ wake up with my claws out. My stupid claws!" Logan cried angrily, making the wretched adamantium blades shoot up out of his knuckles.

Logan then proceeded to trash his camper, and abandon it by the side of the road, taking only a bag of belongings, in search of a new mode of transportation.

***

Rogue woke up in unfamiliar surroundings and almost screamed when she saw the face of a young teenager watching over her.

"Oh my God, you're finally awake!" she grinned, and stepped back. Rogue rubbed her eyes blearily. She looked around and remembered with a shudder what had happened the night before.

_Rogue, you're not still playing that scene in your head, are you? That's the past! _Logan's voice chimed in, making Rogue jump slightly and frown.

"How did I get here?" Rogue asked the girl, starting to sit up.

"You came in here at about 4 a.m., and Jean told me that we were rooming. Oh, by the way, I'm Kitty Pryde, your new roomie." The girl gushed excitedly. The Logan in Rogue's mind growled slightly, not liking all the noise and commotion.

"Ma- Rogue. My name's Rogue." Rogue said, examining the girl in front of her. She looked bright and perky and preppy. Not really the type of girl she used to hang out with, but she seemed sweet enough.

"Cool! So, Rogue, what do you want to do?" Kitty asked, a smile on her face.

"Uh, do you think there's any chance of getting' somethin' to eat?" Rogue asked hopefully. Kitty laughed.

"Yeah, it's about time for lunch anyway. Come on, I'll show you the way!" she said, waiting a little impatiently for Rogue to go about putting on her many layers.

Once that was done, Rogue made her way through the door, as Kitty phased through the wall nearby.

"Hey!" Rogue gasped, staring at Kitty. "You can walk through walls?"

Kitty nodded. "Yeah, it's called 'phasing'. That's my power. What's yours?" She asked eagerly. Rogue's expression darkened.

"I'd rather not talk about it." She muttered, trying to ignore the odd, more animalistic side of Logan that was trying to break through the Logan mentality. She suddenly realized that maybe this was the reason Logan seemed so harsh and angry; he had trouble controlling this angry, feral side.

Kitty and Rogue eventually came to the dining hall. "Here we are!" Kitty announced, opening the door and indicating towards the mass of teens and a few adults in the room. Several glance towards Rogue curiously, but the rest of them ignored her.

"Wow, this is just like high school." Rogue muttered. Kitty giggled.

"This _is_ a high school." She explained. "On weekdays we attend lessons with all the grown-ups you see around."

"Oh. I haven't been to school in a while." Rogue admitted. Kitty nodded, her eyes betraying her curiosity, but she said nothing.

They made their way to a table with two guys sitting at it.

"Hey, Kitty. We got you some food." One of them said, pushing a tray towards her. Then he noticed Rogue. "Hey, who's this?"

"Oh, my new room mate, Rogue. She's new here, came in at like the middle of the night." Kitty said, taking a seat. She grabbed an apple off of the tray, and then pushed it to Rogue. "Here, you can have this. I'm not hungry."

"Thanks." Rogue smiled, and started to dig into the tray of assorted foods.

"So, Rogue, where are you from?" one of the boys said, flicking a lighter open, and closed, and open again…

"I'm from Mississippi." Rogue said in between mouthfuls.

"John, stop that." Kitty said, rolling her eyes at lighter-boy. John flicked his lighter closed loudly one last time, and then pocketed it. The other boy spoke up.

"So, Rogue, what's your story? Most of us here have some kind of interesting back story." He said.

"Yeah," Kitty laughed. "I fell through my bedroom floor and into the basement. It was pretty scary for me back then, but I guess it's pretty funny, too."

Rogue smiled slightly, but shook her head. "I don't really want to get into my power, okay? It's a… sensitive subject." She said.

John opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, to try to convince her to share with them the story of her deadly skin.

The angry side of Logan started to burst through Rogue's mental barrier, and she suddenly glared viciously at John. He closed his mouth, fear apparent in his eyes.

"What are your powers?" Rogue asked, eager to shift the attentions off of her. It worked.

John's eyes abandoned the fearful look, and instead showed a mischievous sort of pride. He dug around in his pocket for his lighter, and then flicked it open. The flame wavered slightly, but then he focused on it, raising his hand slightly. The flame grew to two feet long suddenly, but then died down as John closed the lighter again.

"Wow." Rogue smiled. John gave her a smug grin. The other boy placed his hand on the table for a few moments. When it lifted, there was an ice sculpture of a rose where his hand was.

Kitty giggled. "That's Bobby. He can, like, control ice and stuff. John over there can control fire, too, but he can't create it."

"Which explains the lighter?" Rogue said, glancing to where John was playing with the shark lighter again.

"Exactly. John, stop that!" Kitty said, glaring at John. John laughed, but pocketed the lighter anyway.

"Welcome to our group of friends, Rogue." Bobby said, smiling at Rogue. She paused from eating for long enough to smile back.

"Thanks, guys." She grinned, and then resumed eating.

* * *

**Well, I have to go do schoolwork now, so I'll leave you with this chapter. Thoughts? Questions? Leave a review!**

**Go and click that green button!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Just something I wanna say: Jubilee will not be a part of this fanfiction. To be honest, I haven't the slightest clue of who the hell she even is. Sorry, all those lovers of Jubes. I may have watched all the movies, start to finish, but I wasn't always paying attention.**

**Okay, so, my faithful reviewers, you want another chapter? Here ya go!**

**DISCLAIMER: *sigh* Still don't own any X-Men.**  
**X-Men: OH thank God.**  
**Me: Hey!**

* * *

"Hey, Rogue!" Kitty called, waving madly from a table in the crowded dining hall. It was evening. Rogue had spent most of the day hanging around with Bobby, John and Kitty. She had also had a meeting with Professor Xavier; she was going to start attending their school the following Monday.

Rogue waved back, making her way to the bubbly, giggly teen she roomed with. She managed to maneouvre herself expertly around the tables and students all eating and laughing, but she still wished for her green cloak. She had realized earlier, when she was looking through her large duffel bag, that she had forgotten it… and there was no way she was going to go back for it. It would be too awkward!

"Hi," Rogue smiled, slipping into her seat. Kitty had already gotten Rogue a tray of food, guessing that Rogue was going to be late.

"We were wondering where you'd gotten to." Bobby said. Rogue shrugged.

"The Professor wanted to see me 'bout somethin'. No big deal." She said. The Professor had indeed wanted to see her; it was about Logan. He was conscious, and back on the road. Rogue was glad of the fact.

"Really? What about?" John asked, hacing sensed Rogue's slight unease on the subject.

Rogue took a bite of her food, chewing it slowly, trying to think up some kind of cover for why she saw the Professor.

_What do you need a cover for, kid?_ Logan's voice asked.

_Because, I don't want them to know about you. About me hurtin' you._ She responded, still trying to think. She swallowed.

"Uh, he just, wanted to, er, go over a few details of me startin' school tomorrow." Rogue lied pathetically. She could see that John was about to speak again, but luckily for her, Kitty interrupted.

"Do you know when the Professor is, like, going to get a new trainer for the Danger Room?" she asked, boredly picking at the lump of meaty-looking food on her plate with a fork. "Mr. Summers is cool and all, but we totally need a new routine or something."

_Danger Room? That sounds interesting._ Logan said. Rogue ignored him, but then curiosity got the best of her.

"What's the 'Danger Room'?" she asked casually.

"It's this big simulation chamber." Bobby said. "It makes these cool holographic scenes, but they seem real. They program enemies in it for us to try and overcome. It's really pretty cool."

"Yeah," John added, "But Summers has taken all the fun out of it."

Rogue frowned slightly. "Who's 'Summers'?" she asked.

"Oh, the guy with the sunglasses. Or visor. It depends on what he's doing."

"That guy!" Rogue nodded, before she could stop herself. Bobby, John and Kitty all gave her strange looks. Rogue blushed.

_What do I tell them?_ She thought.

_Oh, you're talking to me now?_ Logan said huffily.

_Oh, shut up, Logan._ Rogue shot back. _I don't want to scare 'em off._ Logan, however refused to respond, no matter how many times Rogue tried to talk to him in her mind. Kitty reached out a hand and tapped Rogue on the shoulder.

"Rogue? Hello?" she asked. Rogue jerked back into the world beyond her mind. She wrenched her shoulder away from Kitty, knowing that it was covered, but still feeling paranoid about her 'abilities'.

"It's nothin' personal, but I don't… you shouldn't touch me." Rogue mumbled. The odd looks intensified. "Um, so! That's who Mr. Summers is, huh? Well, it's nice to put a name to the face."

Again, the expressions of confusion on the three teen's faces grew stronger. Rogue sighed.

"I was on the road, and then Mr. Summers, Jean Grey and Storm came and offered to take me here." She said. The people around her looked a lot less mystified.

"Oh, okay then, that explains a lot." Kitty said, laughing a little nervously.

_You know she's lying._ Logan muttered. _She just wants to know more._

_If you're not gonna be helpful, Logan, with all due respect, shut up._

***

Logan stole some guy's car.

He was wandering about, trying to figure out why the hell he was really searching for this girl, when he'd seen the car, the beat-up old thing, and within a few minutes, found himself driving away in it, smoking a cigar, as he often did.

His destination was Xavier's school. He could somehow tell she was going there. Of course, seeing as she was on foot, he would get there first. So then he would wait for her.

"To give her back her cloak. She might get cold without it." Logan told himself, nodding sternly as he drove. "That, and to apologize. Yes. Those are my reasons." Logan shook his head. "What the hell am I doing?" he asked the car. The car didn't answer.

***

"Professor?" Storm walked into Professor Xavier's office. "How is she doing?"

"She's doing very well. She and Kitty are getting along splendidly." The Professor said. Storm nodded. Then, hesitantly, she asked,

"And what about the thing with Logan…?" Earlier, the Professor had explained to Jean and Storm about how Rogue absorbed a person's consciousness and, in the case of a mutant, their abilities, as well as their energy and life force.

"Ah, yes." The Professor flexed his hands and put them together, resting his elbows on his desk. "Rogue doesn't want to tell the students of the incident, but seems to be finding it hard to keep it a secret."

"Surely she can't keep it a secret forever…?" Storm asked.

"She'd like to. And Logan's personality breaks through into her actions at times, which may be rather alarming." The Professor said.

Storm thought about this for a moment. "What… what about the _real_ Logan?" she asked.

"He's awake." The Professor said simply. Storm nodded, then left. He didn't want to alert Storm of the fact that Logan was headed towards the mansion. They would try their hardest to keep him away, and he had a feeling that that was the last thing either Logan or Rogue needed.

* * *

**I hope I'm not losin' my touch or nothin'! I dunno, maybe I need to go sit on the roof or something.**

**So, you like? You don't like? Either way, review! I got another chapter, but ya ain't going to see it unless you hit that green button!**

**...In other news, it's late, a schoolnight, and I'm tired. Nighty-night, all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**You guys are so cool, you know that? Seriously. Super cool people. Thank you for all the reviews, and story favourites/alerts and everything! Even just reading it is so wonderful (although, if you do, I'm serious about the review thing -- I love 'em)!**

**A note: Until Logan arrives at the institute (and sees Rogue :D) all you'll be hearing from him is his babbling, OOC reasoning for going to Rogue. Also, how long would it take for him to get to Washington? I have no idea. I don't live in the States (or remotely close to them, might I add), so I haven't an inkling of an idea. If any of you do, it would be greatly appreciated if you could inform me!**

**DISCLAIMER: Come on, you should all know this by now. I don't own X-Men. Or any characters in it, or anything, really. 'Sept about a billion safety pins.**

* * *

The rest of the evening passed quickly, and soon Rogue and Kitty retired to their room, getting ready for bed. Rogue used the door, and Kitty phased through the wall just to the right of the door.

"I never get tired of that." Kitty grinned, flopping down onto her bed. Rogue smiled at the girl, and then walked over to her duffel bag, rummaging through it, looking for something to wear to bed. She hadn't bothered in packing her pyjamas when she left home.

Kitty noticed Rogue's hesitation in getting ready for bed. "You need something to wear?" she asked. Rogue nodded, blushing. Kitty grinned. "Cool! I bet I have something you can use. Now, let me see…" she walked over to a set of closet doors and flung them open gasped as she set her eyes on about a dozen dresses, and then on little shelves, countless shirts, skirts, skorts and who knows what else.

"Wow." Was all Rogue could manage. She had never seen even _half_ of that clothing in a single place. "That's… wow."

"I know, it's like, so last season." Kitty scrunched up her nose and shoved most of the dresses messily aside. She then disappeared behind the mass of material, re-emerging a few moments later, holding a long, white nightdress.

"Here. You can have this one. It's not like I ever wore it or anything." Kitty offered, thrusting the garment into Rogue gloved hands.

"Really? I mean, thank you." Rogue smiled. Kitty shrugged. "No problem." She said. Rogue moved past her, into the bathroom to get changed.

As she was doing so, Rogue glanced in a mirror for the first time in a month.

The girl staring back at her was pale and thin, with a slightly crazed, haunted look in her dark eyes. Rogue whimpered slightly.

_What's happened to me?_ She thought to herself.

_Nothing's wrong with you, kid._ Logan said. _You've just had a hard time._

Rogue smiled to herself. _Thanks, Logan._ She finished changing, and then walked into the bedroom she shared with Kitty. Kitty was already in her pyjamas; a pair of short-shorts and an oversized t-shirt.

Kitty and Rogue turned off the lights from in their beds, said goodnight, and then tried to sleep.

***

Logan didn't want to stop. He was determined to reach Rogue as soon as he could. He just didn't quite know why.

"To apologize," he reminded himself. "And to give her the cloak."

Some part of Logan, deep down, remained unconvinced.

***

_A tank of water…blood… screams… intense pain. The pain that never ended…_ Rogue shot up in bed, covered in sweat and screaming. Kitty woke up and ran over to Rogue.

"Rogue, Rogue! What's wrong?" Kitty asked, hovering uncertainly at the side of Rogue's bed. Storm burst through the door, flicking on the light as she hurried in. Rogue closed her eyes, a tear escaping.

"I had… a nightmare. There was blood, and screamin', and…" Rogue trailed off, unable to continue. She couldn't make sense of it.

_That's because it's my dream._

Rogue's eyes widened at that. Kitty looked confused, but Storm seemed to have at least a little bit of understanding of Rogue's sudden change of expression.

"Come on, Rogue. I think we should go see the professor." Storm started to reach for Rogue, to help her up.

"Here, I'll help." Kitty said, moving forward, aiming for Rogue's uncovered hands.

"No!" Rogue and Storm cried at the same time, stopping Kitty in her tracks.

"I, uh…" Rogue started.

"Rogue has a rare skin condition. Her skin has to be covered at all times for human contact." Storm said, continuing to help up Rogue, making an exaggurated point of avoiding her exposed skin.

"Oh, okay." Kitty nodded, watching Rogue and Storm leave the room.

_I'm sorry that you had to see that._ Logan said.

_What?_

_It's bad enough I have to suffer those dreams, but now some innocent kid?_

Rogue mentally smiled. _I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm hardly innocent. I've got all your memories._

There was a pause in Rogue's mind as she struggled not to laugh, despite the nightmare still fresh in her memory.

_Oh._ Was all Logan said, before Rogue started to giggle, both mentally and out loud. Storm gave her an odd look.

"Sorry." Rogue said, indicating to her temple. "It's a long story."

"Ah. I see." Storm nodded.

They arrived at Xavier's office. The door was open, revealing the Professor, seated at the desk, looking at a few files. He looked up as Storm knocked on the open door.

"Storm, Rogue, come in." he said.

"Rogue had a nightmare." Storm said, as they each sat down in chairs across from the Professor's desk.

"It was Logan's." Rogue said. The Professor nodded slightly.

"Ah." He frowned. "Rogue, your mutant abilities enable you to absorb a person's consciousness, as well as their life force. And, in the case of a mutant, their powers."

"But what does that mean?" Rogue asked, suddenly impatient. She blamed Logan for that.

"The person's consciousness is transferred into your mind," the Professor continued. "I believe that in the first case, of the boy from your hometown, his consciousness was transferred, but only temporarily."

_Get on with it!_ Logan growled inside Rogue's mind. The Professor raised an eyebrow, indicating that he had heard it. Rogue blushed.

"In Logan's case, however, because you maintained contact for a far longer period of time after your powers came into effect than with the boy in Meridian, his consciousness was implanted into your mind more thoroughly."

Storm leaned forward in her seat. "And what does this mean, Professor?" she asked, glancing towards where Rogue was sitting, looking slightly frightened.

"It means that Rogue may have Logan's mind within hers for the rest of her days." The Professor announced gravely.

* * *

**Sorry that this one was kinda short, but at least you got it, eh?**

**Ah, writing as the Professor was fun xD I hope the explanation thingy wasn't too weird or unintelligent or just plain _bleh_ or anything?**

**Anyhow, I really need to get back to my schoolwork. Fanfiction is fun and all, but it's distracting. I am quite possibly going to fall over at my dancing lessons tonight. And it's all Logan's fault, for stabbing Rogue. No, it isn't, it's mine for making him do it. No, it isn't, it's my cousins for getting me obsessed with X-Men in the first place. Yes, that's right, Milly, I'm blaming you. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!**

**...And I'm done babbling. Hit that green button!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry I haven't updated in a few days. Schoolwork, ya know? It's the pits. Oh, a big thank you and hug to _writer23_ for telling me approximately how long it would take Logan to get back... Now I can plan out my story better, which means slightly quicker updates! Yayyy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I had a lovely dream last night that I owned X-Men! But dreams shall only ever remain dreams, and X-Men shall remain out of reach.**

* * *

Rogue woke up back in her own bed, in the room she was now sharing with Kitty.

She sat up, looking around blearily. There was an odd sort of beeping noise that was coming from her left, but she just couldn't place what it was, or what she had to do to make it stop…

Kitty walked over to Rogue's side of the room and pressed down firmly on the 'snooze' button on the alarm clock.

"You're really not a morning person, are you?" she asked, laughing. Rogue shrugged.

_I used to be._

_Yeah, sorry about that, kiddo._ Logan laughed. Rogue rolled her eyes and got up, getting ready for the day.

Kitty and Rogue shared almost the same schedule, which was lucky, so they walked together to their first class. Rogue was, as usual, decked out in head-to-toe layers, the only skin showing being her face and neck.

They walked into the Professor's English class first thing. The Professor mentally asked how she spent the rest of her night, if the nightmare was still worrying her, and after that, the rest of the schoolday passed uneventfully. Rogue skipped out on lunch. She wanted some alone time, and anyway, Logan was yammering in her mind all morning.

_You happy now, Logan?_ Rogue snapped mentally, making her way back to her room.

_Yes._ Logan didn't hesitate in his reply.

_Don't you realize that some of us want to learn?_

_I've already learnt everything they were teaching._

_Yeah, but I haven't!_

_Oh. Sorry, kid._ Rogue sighed.

_It's all right, I suppose. Just don't do it again, 'right?_

_You have no idea how boring it is in here._ Logan muttered. Rogue laughed softly, reaching her room and sitting down on her bed.

_Gee, thanks, Logan. That's my mind you're talkin' 'bout. _Rogue rolled her eyes and started fiddling with her fingers.

_I'm sorry if I'm trying to be a gentleman about this. I don't want to pry into your memories._

_Okay, for one thing,_ Rogue listed, _it's not like there's anythin' stoppin' you. I mean, they can't physically hurt you, even if you had a body. And for another thing, can you even reach into my mind?_

There was a pause as Rogue waited anxiously for Logan answer, chewing uncertainly on her bottom lip, which was turned into a very unlike-her smirk.

_You used to have a crush on the Yellow Wiggle. And you got a red bike for Christmas when you were 12._

Rogue giggled aloud, then clapped her gloved hand over her mouth.

"You're guessin'! There ain't no way you could know that!" she whispered between giggles. Suddenly she heard a voice to coming from the bathroom.

"Who could know what?" Kitty.

Rogue squealed and almost fell off of her bed. "How--? What're you doin' here?" she asked, regaining her balance, snatching up a pillow and clutching it to her chest.

"Relax. I needed to use the bathroom and the public one was crowded." Kitty then flopped onto her bed, stretching out her legs, looking rather relaxed and cat-like. "So, who were you talking to?"

"My imaginary friend." Rogue replied, her expression serious. Internally, however, she was laughing as Logan voiced his distaste in Rogue's referring to him as 'imaginary'.

Kitty's eyes widened. "Ooo-kay…" she said, smiling nevously and walking backwards. "I'll see you after lunch!" she called, disappearing through the walls. As soon as she disappeared, Rogue started laughing.

_Imaginary friend. Hmmph._ Logan grumbled. Rogue just laughed harder.

_You gotta admit, Logan, her face was just priceless._

_Yeah. _Logan admitted reluctantly. Rogue kept on giggling.

***

Stupid car.

The junkheap that Logan stole broke down. He cursed and kicked and reduced a nearby tree to sawdust when it did. He was feeling irritated and restless anyway, and the car failing on him was not helping.

Now he was looking for a new vehicle. Something _fast_… He wanted to go for one of the bikes, but he had his bag of stuff.

Logan dumped half the junk in his bag and continued on his way, muttering to himself, "Get there, apologize, give her back her cloak…."

***

Rogue skipped out on the next class, tired from her laughing fit and from the lack of sleep the last night, due to the nightmare. She slept soundly, without nightmares, but was soon woken by Kitty.

"Rogue? Rogue, come on, we're totally going to be late to the Professor's next class!"

"The Professor again?" Rogue asked tiredly, blinking a few times. Kitty shrugged.

"We're kinda under-staffed here at the institute." She explains, then tugs on Rogue's sleeve imppatiently, taking care not to touch her skin. "Now, come on!"

Rogue got up from her position, sprawled across the spacious bed – not a very attractive pose.

"Okay, okay, I'm comin'." She muttered stretching.

_More things I already know? You're killing me here._ Logan complained. Rogue ignored him.

The Professor nodded at Rogue and Kitty as they entered. They weren't too late, and the lesson hadn't started yet.

The Professor thought-spoke to the newest student.

_How are you, Rogue?_ He asked. Rogue knew he was asking about the Logan-situation; otherwise he would have spoken aloud.

_Fine. Logan distracts me a little, but I'm gettin' better at ignoring 'im. He's like a child._

_A child...! _Logan started a rant similar to the one earlier when he was referred to as an imaginary friend. Rogue shut him out.

_I see._ The Professor's tone was amused, and when Rogue glanced his way, he was smiling faintly.

They started the lesson –history, which made Logan more agitated – and the rest of the lessons passed without too many distractions from Rogue's mental companion.

After dinner, during which Kitty started sharing all the gossip of the school with an enchanted-looking Bobby, an extremely bored John and a disinterested Rogue, the mansion's staff held a meeting.

The first half hour covered the students and their educations. Then, because both Professor and Jean could tell they wanted to (being telepaths and all), they switched to the topic of Rogue.

"What's happening with Logan's mind?" Scott asked. Jean had filled him in earlier on all the information the Professor had told her and Storm. "Is the real Logan braindead or something?"

"No," the Professor said, "Rogue seems to have acquired a copy of Logan's consciousness at the time of contact. The real Logan's mind is still intact."

There was a pause in the room as everyone realized that there was something the Professor was not sharing with them. The Professor sighed softly, and pressed his fingers together into a triangle.

"There is something else I think you should know. Logan is coming. He intends to arrive at the mansion some time tomorrow."

* * *

**So, you like? I'm sorry it's so weird... I was bored. Trying to overcome writer's block. This happened.**

**Ahh, I did so enjoy teasing Logan. A child, an imaginary friend... It's so fun. Also, in case any of you were interested, the two 'secrets' Logan discovered from Rogue... The bike one is a reference to Doctor Who (don't ask which episode... I think it's season 1, with the Ninth Doctor and Rose, Doctor Dances perhaps?) and the Wiggles one is a little-known fact about myself. When I was a little girlie, I was head-over-heels for the Yellow Wiggle. He was so cool!**

**...OH, yeah. Review, please! Don't forget - no review, no continue!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay! I'm actually supposed to be in bed at the moment, because I've got an early morning tomorrow. Stoopid guitar lessons. But anyway, I thought, you guys all deserve another chapter before I head to bed, so here it is!**

**This is dedicated to all of the people who don't review, who do review, who read and have only just started to review, and those who read and review every chapter. No matter what you do or don't do, your support is always appreciated. You're da bomb!**

**DISCLAIMER: It took a lot of convincing, but I've finally accepted that X-Men isn't mine, nor shall it ever be. Oh well!**

* * *

There was a stunned silence for a few moments, before Scott burst out, "What?!" Storm and Jean then joined in with their protests.

The Professor let them go on for a few moments, but then put his hand up, silencing them.

"I understand that you all may be concerned. After all, if it weren't for Rogue's powers, Logan would have killed her." He said.

"Exactly! How do we know that he won't hurt any of the other students?" Scott demanded.

"But it wasn't like that, was it?" Jean asked.

"It was a natural reaction, Scott. I am certain it will not happen again." The Professor said. Scott scoffed, but let it rest.

"What will this mean for Rogue?" Storm said, after a moment's silence.

"That remains to be seen." The Professor said cryptically. "But if there is a threat presented to Rogue, or any other students for that matter, then we shall take action, but not before."

***

Now that night had fallen, Rogue felt uneasy. She remembered with disturbing clarity the events of the nightmare that didn't belong to her from the night before.

_Come on, kid, you've got to get to sleep._ Logan urged. Rogue just turned over in bed, eyes wide open in an attempt to stay awake.

_I'm fine. It's not like I haven't pulled an all-nighter before._

_I still think you should get some rest._

_Come on, Logan, just let me stay up. Please?_

_Fine._ Logan sighed reluctantly, sounding like a parent. Rogue smiled in the dark.

_Thank you._ Now all she had to do was to find a way to keep herself from falling asleep.

After about half an hour of trying to sleep, Rogue sighed and sat up, turning on the lamp on her bedside table. The bulb was weak, so enough light shone to illuminate the room enough so she could see, but not so strong it would wake Kitty. Rogue leaned over the edge of the bed, picking up some books. Homework.

_You're kidding me, right?_ Logan moaned.

_What?_

_Kid, I already know this stuff._

_Yeah, but as I pointed out before, I don't, Logan. Now, please let me study._

Logan left Rogue in peace… for a few minutes.

_You could just ask, you know. There's no point in learning all of this if you already know it._

_Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll stick to learnin' the old fashioned way._

_Come on. All you'll need to do is take a tiny peek into my mind, and..._

_Nuh-uh._ Rogue shook her head, but put the books aside anyway. _I don't know what I may find in there._

_You mean...?_

_Logan, I have your memories. I've seen things that would make most people blush._

Logan was silent. _Sorry._ He said guiltily. Rogue smiled slightly.

_S'ok, I s'pose. Just a little… disturbin', the thoughts that you have at times._

_How?_

_One can get a little freaked when one starts thinking in... strange ways about other girls, when one is not that way inclined._ Rogue stated grimly. Logan laughed.

By the time morning came, Rogue had managed to ward off the initial tiredness. But now she was paranoid that as soon as she closed her eyes, she'd fall asleep again. Kitty was looking annoyingly perky and awake.

"Hey, Rogue. How did you sleep?" Kitty asked, emerging fresh-faced and smiling from the bathroom, while Rogue just sat on her bed, willing her eyes to stay open.

"I didn't." Rogue said simply, slowly getting up. She had changed into a pair of long jeans and long sleeved shirt, along with socks and gloves around midnight.

"Really? What did you do all night?" Kitty asked curiously.

Rogue shrugged. "I studied." She said.

_Well, I tried to, at least._

_I'll tell you the answers, don't you worry._Logan said.

"Oh. Cool." Kitty nodded, before backing out of their room, through the wall. Rogue went through the door. Their first class was with Storm.

"Rogue?" the white-haired woman took the younger mutant aside when she entered the classroom.

"Yes, Storm?"

"You look tired. Did you have one of those nightmares last night?"

"No." Rogue shook her head, much to Storm's surprise. "I avoided sleep altogether." She yawned. "I'll be awake again properly in no time."

"If you say so." Storm said doubtfully, before starting the lesson. Every now and again, she would direct a question at Rogue, to see whether or not she was awake, and she would blink, sit up a little straighter, and answer correctly – every time.

All of Rogue's classes were like that. And up until lunch, no-one bothered her about it. She decided to sit with Bobby, John and Kitty.

"So, how come you're such a genius at everything?" John asked as Rogue sat down with a tray of food. Kitty rolled her eyes.

"She like, studied and stuff." She said. "That's how most people learn."

_Yeah... most people._ Logan added. Rogue felt like slapping him playfully, but then realized that he didn't actually have a body _to_ slap, thus making slapping him impossible. Which made her want to slap him all the more.

"But Storm gave us a pop quiz in history, and we'd barely covered that stuff before." Bobby said. John smirked.

"Did you cheat?" he asked. Kitty widened her eyes and turned to Rogue.

"Ohmigod, did you?" she stage-whispered. Rogue glared at John, then shook her head.

"No, I just learnt that stuff before." She said. John raised an eyebrow.

"Really."

"Yeah, really. Just what are you implyin'?" Rogue asked, narrowing her eyes at the boy.

"Nothing, nothing…" John shook his head, staring at his plate.

"It's not nothin'. You seriously think I cheated, don't you?" Rogue started getting angry.

"Well, didn't you?" John glanced up sharply from his plate.

"No!" Rogue hissed. Kitty and Bobby just stared helplessly, wondering what Rogue was going to do.

_Claws... _Logan muttered.

_What?_

_Claws. They should be going through that boy right now._

_Logan, violence is not the answer..._ Although Rogue found that option very tempting. She stood up and leaned across the table, her glare icy.

"You ever call me a cheat again and I guarantee you will regret it." She said, in a tone that wasn't even remotely her own. It was Logan, speaking through her. John looked a little frightened, but his face broke into a cocky grin.

"Sure I will. What can some girl do to me?" he flicked open his lighter and held a ball of fire in his hands. Rogue's eyes flashed. She tugged at one of her gloves, and started reaching for John's face.

"Rogue, no!" Storm yelled from across the dining hall. Rogue growled and turned to glare at the woman who was making her way to her, oblivious of the fact that everyone was staring at them. A new voice entered Rogue's mind; Jean's.

_Rogue. I need you to calm down._ Rogue relaxed visibly, but her eyes still looked slightly animalistic.

"Fine." Rogue said, moving from the table to where Storm was standing, putting her glove back on. Storm took hold of the girl's shoulders and started to lead her towards the nearest exit to the school grounds. Once outside, Rogue was slightly calmer, but Storm was still concerned.

"Rogue, what happened?" she asked, looking searchingly into Rogue's eyes. Rogue looked away.

"Logan… the one in my head, he got angry at John." She whispered. "I got kinda angry too, I guess." The last of the animalistic qualities in Rogue's posture and expression vanished.

"Rogue?"

"Can I please just be left alone for a little while?" Rogue asked. "I promise I'll stay away from the other students."

Storm straightened and sighed. "Certainly. You're excused from further classes, although I think that you should probably go and see your friends and explain--" Storm backtracked slightly upon seeing Rogue's horrified expression. "Okay, maybe not explain, not until you're comfortable with it, but at least apologize."

"Okay." Rogue nodded, before racing over across the grounds, in search of a bench to sit under.

* * *

**Having Logan as a constant mental companion isn't always pleasant, it seems. And as for those of you who are wondering just when Logan's arriving? Hmm... I do believe that Chapter Eleven, once it's written and uploaded, should answer all your questions ;)**

**Now, that green button's looking _awfully_ clickable...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here it is! Chapter Eleven. So important, it's capitalized.**

**And I'm not even going to bore you with my ramblings this time!**

**DISCLAIMER: X-Men. It ain't mine.**

* * *

Rogue stalked over to a bench, glowering.

_I'm sorry._ Logan said.

"That's not good enough." Rogue muttered, speaking aloud. After all, she was alone. And in any case, most people probably thought she was crazy already.

_What is good enough? What can I do?_

"I don't know. I don't know." Rogue sighed. "Does that happen every time you get mad?"

_Pretty much. 'Sept when I do it, the claws come out._

Rogue winced. "Oh, yes, those claws."

_Did I ever tell you that I was sorry for that?_

"No, I don't believe you did."

_Well, I am._

"Thanks, Logan." Rogue smiled. "It means a lot to me." After a short silence, Logan started talking again.

_So, what now?_

"What do you mean, what now?"

_Do we go back in there, or what?_

"I don't really know. I mean, I was a few seconds away from potentially killin' John."

_He deserved it._

"He did, though." Rogue laughed.

_If I were you, I'd get out of here._

"I know. I know what you'd do."

_So, why don't we?_

"Why don't we what?"

_Leave. Run. Get out of here._

"Because runnin' isn't the answer. I tried that. Ended up here. Which ain't that bad, I s'pose, compared to what life was like before, but…"

_But what?_

"But I don't wanna give this up. Sure, they probably all hate me now an' think I'm crazy or somethin', but Storm's nice, and so's the Professor. I don't want to leave this place."

"Then I suppose it's a good thing you came here." Logan said. Rogue was too deep in thought to realize that the speech was coming from outside her mind.

"Would you have brought me here?"

"Whaddya mean, kid?"

"If I hadn't hurt you and stuff… Would you have brought me here?"

"Of course, kid. I made a promise." Rogue suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. It was her green cloak, the one she left in the camper the night she fled. She stared at it for a few moments before tentatively taking a glance behind her. It was Logan. The _real_ Logan.

Rogue screamed and fell off of her bench.

"Logan! I—you—you're real?" She stammered, blushing.

"Last I checked." Logan said, eyebrow raised.

"How long were you standing there?" Rogue asked. Logan shrugged.

"A few minutes." Rogue hung her head.

_All your fault, Logan. All. Your. Fault._

_Don't I know it._ Logan responded cheerily.

"Well, ah, maybe you'd like to come inside? See the Professor or somethin'? Okay." Rogue nodded, not waiting for any response from Logan, and started to head towards the mansion. Logan raised both eyebrows and followed behind Rogue, picking up her green cloak as he went.

"You forgot this." He called out. Rogue paused and turned around, taking the garment in her hands.

"Thank you." She nodded, and then continued on her way. Storm came outside, concerned.

"Rogue? Are you feeling better?" she asked, before setting eyes on Logan. Those eyes then widened.

"Yeah, I'm feelin' better. Look who I found." Rogue smiled, and then scurried inside. Storm sent a psychic message to Jean, who soon appeared outside, along with Scott.

"You!" Scott said, his hand flying instinctively to his visor. Jean placed a hand on his arm, shaking her head slightly.

"No, Scott." She said. "Remember what the Professor said. Peaceful." Scott hesitated, but lowered his arm, all the while glaring impressively at Logan from behind the red-tinted glass. Jean smiled and spoke again, this time to Logan. "Come with us. We're taking you to the Professor."

Logan grunted in response, and followed the three mutants through the many halls of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

***

Rogue ran through the halls, making her way to her room. She hadn't been outside for long, so lunch wasn't over yet. She was met with stares and whispers as she made her way around corners. Eventually, she was in her own room. She slammed the door behind her, and closed her eyes.

"Rogue?" a voice asked. Rogue yelped, opening her eyes to see a concerned-looking Kitty standing before her.

"Don't scare me like that!" Rogue gasped, her hand on her chest. She'd had enough of surprises for one day.

"Sorry. I just wanted to know, are you all right? I mean, you, like, totally went all psycho earlier." Kitty said. "No offence." Rogue shook her head.

"Yeah, I'm sorry 'bout that." She said softly. "I just wasn't feelin' like myself."

_Understatement, _she thought. She could sense Logan about to add some comment of his own, so she added a swift, _shut up, Logan. This is still all your fault._

"No, it's cool." Kitty smiled, shaking her head. "John was kind of being a jerk, anyway." Then she frowned. "What would have happened if you touched him? What with your skin condition and all."

Rogue's expression darkened.

_I would get some cocky jerk in my head. That's what would happen._ She thought bitterly. Her mental Logan growled at the idea. Rogue growled lightly herself.

"I don't want to find out." She said simply, and flopped down onto her bed. She was tired now, both from the mental strain of trying to restrain Logan, and from staying up all night last night. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

***

Logan was delivered to the Professor's office quickly. Jean and Storm walked in with Logan in between them, waiting patiently for the Professor to finish whatever he was doing. Scott hovered by the door uneasily.

After a few moments, the Professor's look went from complete concentration to his usual gentle smile. "Ah, Logan." He said. "It is nice to meet you."

Logan narrowed his eyes at the older man. "Do I know you?" he asked suspiciously.

"I don't believe you do. My name is Charles Xavier. This is a school for mutants, a place for young mutants to feel safe." The Professor said. Storm and Jean left, all but dragging a very unhappy-looking Scott with them.

"Now, what have you come here for, Logan? From what I've heard of you, you're not the type of man with a set destination in mind."

Logan frowned. "How do you know about me?"

"What do you know of Rogue's mutation?" The Professor asked. Logan grimaced.

"A whole lot more than most, I bet." He said.

"And the after-effects?"

Logan thought back to when Rogue was explaining about her powers.

"_The worst part is, I could see all his memories, an' almost... feel him inside my head."_

Professor Xavier nodded. "Her abilities enable her to make a copy, if you will, of whoever she's made contact with's mind. She only made contact briefly with the boy back in her hometown; the effect was short-lived. But with you… your healing abilities made it possible for you to hold on for far longer than anyone else possibly could." The Professor paused. "Rogue has absorbed your memories permanently."

Logan just stood there in Xavier's office, shocked. "What?" he finally managed.

"Rogue can hear you in her mind. It's as if you are an imaginary friend." Xavier chuckled at that.

"So, let me get this straight." Logan said. "She has me talking to her. In her mind."

"Yes."

"And she has seen everything I can remember."

"Yes."

Logan paused. "So she knows everything I know?"

"Yes, it seems to be that way."

Logan nodded, not understanding any of the conversation. "Okay, then."

* * *

**Well, there it was. Hope you liked it!**

**I've got to run, now. I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

**So! You all liked Chapter Eleven, I hope? The chapter so important, it is capitalized? I know I liked writing it.**

**Here's the next chapter. It gets slightly more interesting from here on in, because Logan's here! At the mansion! Shocking, I know! I don't know exactly what kinda trouble he's gonna get into while he's here... But we all know he's gonna do _something._ He's the mighty Wolverine, after all!**

**This chapter is dedicated to everyone with a fanfic obsession.**

**DISCLAIMER: I'm finally getting over the fact that I don't own X-Men.**

* * *

Kitty met up with Bobby outside their class after lunch, looking worried.

"I'm worried about Rogue. She seems upset." She said, frowning slightly. Bobby narrowed his eyes.

"Kitty, she practically attacked John today, and you're worried she's upset?"

"She seemed sorry about that when she came back into her room today." Kitty shook her head, not wanting to share the fact that, in her opinion, Rogue should have attacked the mutant with pyrokinesis. "But I don't know. She just came in and went straight to sleep."

"She did seem kinda tired today." Bobby noted.

"She told me she didn't sleep last night." Kitty said. "But the night before that she had this freaky nightmare or something. I wonder--" her musings were cut short by a scream coming from her room. She started phasing through the walls, running towards the source of the scream as soon as she could.

***

Rogue woke up with a scream from a nightmare identical to the one she had that first night. The tank of water, the blood, the pain… As soon as she realized she was safe, she stopped screaming, and settled for closing her eyes and trying to focus on breathing. Breathing. Yes, breathing was good. Good aim. Breathe.

"Rogue! Are you okay?" Kitty appeared in the middle of the bed, looking concerned as Rogue opened her eyes. Rogue was slowly starting to get used to the fact that Kitty could move through anything, but it was definitely an unnerving experience waking up from a nightmare that wasn't yours – _Sorry, again, _mental Logan apologized – to your roommate standing _through_ you.

"Yeah. I was just havin' a nightmare, s'all." Rogue assured. At that moment, Storm burst into the room, much like she did a few nights ago.

"She said she had a nightmare." Kitty announced, moving out from the middle of Rogue's bed. Storm glanced at Rogue and she nodded.

"Kitty, I think you should get to your classes." Storm said. Kitty nodded reluctantly and left the room, through the walls. "How was the nightmare?"

"It was… nightmare-ish." Rogue shrugged, before adding, "And not mine."

"You mean it was…?" Storm left the thought unfinished. Rogue nodded.

"It was Logan's, yeah." She said. _I don't blame 'im for stabbin' me, with dreams like that,_ she thought.

_Don't say that._

_Fine, but you can't stop me from believin' it._

Rogue sighed and threw the covers off of her body. She hadn't bothered to change out of her jeans, so she was fully dressed, but she still felt cold. She reached for the green cloak that she used to wear so much it was almost a second skin, simultaneously gripping her brown leather gloves in her other hand. She put the garments of clothing on and turned to Storm tiredly.

"So?" she blinked a few times, forcing the memoies of the dream back into the recesses of her mind. "What happens now? Do you drag me off to see the Professor again, or what?"

Storm paused, thinking. "Maybe we should take you to see Jean first."

"She's a telepath too, right?" Rogue asked. It was hard to keep track of all the mutants and their abilities at the institute. Storm nodded.

"Yes. She's not as strong as the Professor, but she might be able to help us find some way to block Logan's memories, prevent the dreams from happening…" she sighed. "It's worth a shot, at least."

They came to the door of Scott and Jean's shared room. The door was open. Jean didn't have any classes that day, so she was sitting in there, practicing her telekinetic skills by levitating a few books around the room. When she noticed Rogue and Storm hovering outside her door, she smiled and all the books dropped.

"Damn." She muttered. Then she brightened and smiled. "What can I do for you?"

_Oh, I can think of a few things... _Logan started. Rogue's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

_Logan! Shut up! What was I sayin' 'bout thoughts like that?_

_That... they're distracting?_

_Yes. And now I implore you to stop. Please._

_Spoil-sport._ Logan grumbled, but stopped his task of mentally undressing Jean. Rogue's expression relaxed.

"We want to see if you could help us. Rogue's had another one of Logan's nightmares, and we were wondering…"

"The Professor's really more the type to create mind blocks." Jean smiled apologetically. "But I could try."

Storm smiled, relieved, and walked into Jean's room, Rogue following close behind. Her mental companion kept trying to comment on something, but Rogue continued to shush him.

"Now, Rogue… would you mind if I probed your mind, tried to see what the nightmare was like?" Jean asked. Rogue shrugged.

"Sure." She said, not wanting to agree to this, but not wanting to disappoint Jean or Storm. Jean put her hands on either side of Rogues head, her eyes closing suddenly as she concentrated.

Images of Logan's nightmare surfaced, making both Rogue and Jean break away from each other, gasping a little. Storm moved forward, torn between comforting the younger mutant or her long time friend. She settled for placing an arm on the upper arms of both – after checking Rogue's arm was fully covered, of course.

"Oh, Rogue, I'm so sorry…" Jean started, shaking her head. "You shouldn't have to see things like that."

"S'ok." Rogue muttered, staring at her shoes. "I just feel sorry for Logan, havin' to see that almost every night."

Jean looked confused. "How can you feel sorry for the man after he stabbed you?" Mental-Logan winced.

"He didn't mean to." Rogue insisted. Jean and Storm raised an eyebrow. "He told me. I saw it in his mem'ries. He didn't mean to. He's sorry…"

Making all the girls jump in fright, the real Logan spoke up from the doorway, where he was leaning against the frame, arms crossed. "It's true."

The three other mutants just stared at him, so he continued.

"The Professor explained to me a little about my mind in your head, kid, and I'm sorry. I really am." His gaze shifted downwards.

"No, I'm sorry. I took your memories, your thoughts." Rogue said, the first to regain their composure. Logan's head snapped up.

"You're apologizing to _me?_ Kid, I made it all the way out here to apologize, and you're apologizing to _me…_" he shook his head in disbelief.

_Yeah, what?_ Mental Logan was just as baffled. Rogue ignored him.

"I'm the one who stabbed you. And because of that, I'm the one who's apologizing."

"Yeah, but I'm the one who peeked into every one of your memories from the past fifteen years. So I'm apologizing."

There was silence in the room as Rogue and Logan just stared at each other.

"How about," Rogue said, smiling a little, "We just both apologize and call it even?"

"Agreed." Logan nodded, smirking slightly. He reached out and shook Rogue's hand, sealing the deal.

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**You liked? If so, REVIEW!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm so sorry! I haven't updated in AGES, and now it's only a tiny, short chapter... But the first night I was trying to write, I was chatting to seven people on MSN, and then the weekend ended, and I'm really sorry! Forgive me?**

**Also, THANK YOU to all my reviewers! You guys are seriously awesome. I mean, dude. You guys are all wonderful.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own X-Men. Unfortunately. If I did, there'd be a lot more maple syrup.**

**And speaking of cheese...**

* * *

Rogue soon found herself in Professor Xavier's office. Again. She kept her gaze directed at the ground, fiddling with the cuffs of her gloves uneasily as she sat in a chair facing the Professor, Storm, Scott, Jean and Logan all standing around the office. Logan grunted.

"Why are we here?" he wondered aloud, not really directing it towards anyone.

"There isn't any single reason." The Professor said. "I just felt that you and Rogue should get re-acquainted. And some of the others feel concerns for your role in the school – that is if you decide to join the school as a teacher or staff member."

Logan narrowed his eyes at the old man as the word 'teacher' left his lips, but was cut short in his glaring by Rogue.

"There's this room… it's called the Danger Room. It has all these combat simulations an' stuff. You'd like it.' She said, before anyone could start to argue. Logan immediately stopped glaring, but still maintained a suspicious expression.

"Danger Room?" he echoed, curious.

"It is a simulation chamber, in which the students put their self defense skills to the test." The Professor explained.

"Like one giant video game?" Logan asked. Xavier smiled.

"I suppose you could put it that way." He said.

"Well, thanks for the offer, but I'm just passing through." Logan took a step towards the door. Scott looked angrily at Logan. "Wait, lemme guess. The 'concerns' for any of my involvement in the school are from One-Eye over here?"

The Professor said nothing, but Jean bit back a grin. Logan smirked. "I thought so." Then he turned and left the office. He was hungry; driving for as long as he did, without many stops. No-one came after him at first, but after a while, he heard soft footsteps hurrying up to him.

"Hi." It was Rogue. She beamed up at him.

"Hi." He said. "Is it true, what they say about me being in your head?"

"Yeah." Rogue nodded. "You're an interestin' character." Logan raised an eyebrow.

"And what's that mean, kid?"

"It means you've…introduced me to a new way of thinkin'." Rogue smiled. "'Bout life, 'bout school… 'bout Jean…"

Logan froze for a moment. "What?" he asked, eyes wide. Rogue adopted a very Logan-esque smirk.

"I know what you're thinkin', kinda. I mean, the you in my head talks to me all the time. Which he should stop doing right now, thankyouverymuch." She glared at nothing for a few moments, then blushed, hiding behind her thick, brown hair. "Sorry. He's busy admirin' you. Himself. In any case, he won't stop talkin'."

Logan raised an eyebrow as they made their way to the kitchen.

"You want anything?" Logan asked once they had reached their destination. Rogue shook her head as Logan rifled through the cupboards. Finally, he found what he was going for; beer. Rogue stared longingly at the cool beverage in Logan's hand, as he sat down at the table in the centre of the kitchen.

"So." Logan said, after a long sip of his beer. "How've you been?"

"Good." Rogue smiled. "It's kinda nice here."

"Good, good." Logan nodded. "How does your power work? I mean, my memories, how do they-?"

Rogue shrugged. "I don't really know. It's like I have two sets of mem'ries. Mine and yours." Rogue frowned. "So, in a way, I know all your secrets. Aw, you'd be no fun at a sleepover." Logan looked at her oddly. "Oh. Did I say that out loud? It's hard to tell the difference between the real you and the you in my head sometimes."

"Okay then… Wait, _all_ my secrets?"

"Yeah… Let's just say that I'm not as innocent as I should be." Rogue said slyly. Logan looked slightly sheepish, making Rogue giggle. "Hey, tell you what – we'll do a trade. Seeing as I know all your secrets, you can have my secret?"

Logan frowned, but was intrigued, nonetheless. "And what would that be?"

"My name." Rogue said. "It's Marie."

Logan smiled a small smile at the girl in front of him. She had just shared what was her only secret with him, a man she had known a few days. But, then again, she knew him better than anyone else.

"Marie." Logan repeated. "It's a nice name."

Rogue made a face. "Not to me. It's so…_ Marie._" She paused, thinking. "But it's okay if you call me that, I s'pose."

They shared a brief smile, and continued to sit in the kitchen, in a comfortable, companionable silence.

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**HO MAI. This seems even SHORTER now that I'm looking at it online.**

**If y'all have any suggestions, critiques, anything, just review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ha-ha! Here's another chapter for you. And thank you for the reviews, all! You guys are all lovely. This chapter's only short, but it's holidays in a few days for me, so I'll have more time for writing! Yay!**

**DISCLAIMER: X-Men is not mine.... Come on, haven't I said it enough?**

* * *

Kitty was the first to know anything. Ever. It was kind of a rule at Xavier's; if you wanted to know something, ask Kitty. She was the gossip queen. But, for once, she was the second to know about something. Or, rather, someone.

She was walking into the kitchen, looking for a glass of water, when she froze.

"Um, hi." She waved, raising an eyebrow at Rogue. She was sitting next to a strange man. "Who's this?"

"Oh," Rogue said, looking up from her conversation. "Kitty. This is Logan. Logan, Kitty." Kitty smiled and waved again. Logan grunted and nodded.

"So, how do you know him? Is he, like, gonna be some new teacher or something?" Kitty asked, moving forward to sit across from them at the table. Logan frowned slightly, but said nothing. Rogue shook her head.

"He's just an old friend. Friend of a friend. Of the family. You know." She said. "He just stopped by to check up on me and to say hi."

Kitty frowned. What she was saying wasn't quite fitting in with what was the widely accepted story behind Rogue and how she came to the mansion. Most thought she ran away from home. How would this Logan person have known where she was? However, Kitty didn't say any of this. Instead, she just smiled and nodded. "Oh, sure."

There was a slightly uncomfortable silence then, while Logan and Rogue just stared at the countertop, and Kitty studied this man. Then she spoke.

"Oh, Rogue, um, do you, like, need notes for the test next week?" she asked. Rogue looked up, and shrugged.

"Nah. Wait, which test is this?"

"English."

"Oh. Then no. But thanls for the offer, Kitty. I really 'preciate it."Rogue smiled. Kitty nodded.

"Sure, okay then." She got up. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Logan." And with that, she left the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Logan asked once he was sure Kitty was out of earshot. Rogue shrugged.

"That's my roommate, Kitty Pryde. She's a nice girl, really, once you get to know her." Her expression changed briefly, a smile flickering on her lips. "Okay, _you_ wouldn't like her."

Logan smirked. "You got that right, kid." He took another sip of his beer, and caught Rogue staring – again – at the beverage. "You want a sip?" he offered. Rogue shook her head and blushed, moving so her hair would curtain most of the blush.

"No. I shouldn't. I'm only 17 an' anyway, I'm sure I won't want beer anymore eventually."she frowned. "I hope. The Professor never actually said how long you would last." Her eyes widened. "I mean, uh, not you, I mean, yeah, you, but the you in my head, see..." Logan laughed.

"I get it, kid." He put a hand up, still smiling. Rogue nodded and bit her lip, her blush not even nearly fading.

***

"Kitty." John swaggered up to the female mutant, flicking his lighter as he went. Kitty sighed.

"Whaddya want, John?"

"Nothing. You got anything on the new girl?"

Kitty rolled her eyes and sighed again. "Honestly, John, she sat with us. Twice. You should know her name by now. Rogue."

"But that's what I mean!" John insisted. "We don't know her real name. Only her mutant name. I want info on her home life, who she was before she became what she is."

Kitty glared at the boy in front of her. "She's my _friend_. I'm not going to sell her out! And anyway, what do you want that info for?" John said nothing. "Oh my God, you want revenge on her?"

"So what if I do?"

"John, she didn't do anything. She got angry, she was about to do something, but she didn't. Can't you just let it go?" Kitty demanded, placing her hands on her hips. John sneered at her.

"You're going to regret defending her , Kitty-Kat." John jabbed a finger in Kitty's general direction, before walking away.

***

Rogue re-entered the kitchen, a frown firmly planted on her pretty features. Logan raised an eyebrow as she walked in.

"What's up, kid?" he asked. Rogue shook her head.

"John's bein' a jerk to Kitty." Her frown deepened. "I wish I could just drain 'im, leave 'im lyin' there..." Rogue glanced up, eyes wide, frown gone. "Did I just say that?" she asked. Logan nodded, confused. Rogue groaned. "I didn't mean to... I didn't even mean to think that, I just... Ugh! I blame you!" she sat down next to Logan again, blowing her hair from her face in annoyance.

"Uh, sure." Logan muttered. Rogue sighed.

"It's your personality that's makin' me want to be all aggressive." Rogue explained, still glaring angrily at nothing.

Logan frowned and took a sip of his beer. "So, the me in your head is making you angry and want to hurt something? In this case, some kid?"

Rogue nodded grimly. "Pretty much." They sat in silence for a few moments, Rogue still muttering under her breath. Then she reached out and grabbed a bottle of beer Logan had just opened and took a swig.

"What?" she smirked, glancing at Logan. "I changed my mind, 'kay? Girls are allowed to do that." They laughed.

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**I hope y'all liked this one! It was fun to write, as it always is. Don't worry, drama will happen soon!**

**Review, please, my pretties!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yeah, yeah, another shortish chapter... but as I say, at least there's a chapter! I was thinking of making the following happen only a few months later, but then I thought, why the wait? So, here's where some of the plot (maybe?) starts to (possibly?) unfold.**

**I'm really sorry if I'm annoying you guys with all the waits between chapters... Ah, I remember the times where I used to update daily! But now I have a whole lot more actually blocked out, so I can just get down to writing, which means quicker updates! Yayyy!**

**DISCLAIMER: X-Men is not mine. Nor will it ever be. And if it were... HOO-BOY. That would be one funk-ay thing to behold.**

* * *

The next day, Rogue was still not in class. Jean had expressed an interest in figuring out a way to develop the young mutants abilities, to make her able to touch again. So Rogue was idly humming, swinging her legs from the gurney she was sitting on, quite happily _not_ in class.

_This beats class._ Logan said happily. Rogue mentally nodded.

_Sure does,_ she agreed. _Class is bo-ring. Especially because I'm not learnin' anythin'._

_Again, why learn it if you already know it?_ Logan said. Rogue smiled as Jean walked in from another part of the medlab, a piece of paper in her hands.

"Okay, according to this formula, we should--" she paused, getting that look on her face when she was speaking telepathically. She nodded into air after a few moments, then turned to Rogue, the paper in her hands forgotten. "That was the Professor," she announced, as casually as if he'd called her on a telephone – which, Rogue supposed, in a way, he kind of did. "He says he has a new student with a very 'unique' gift – his word, not mind – and that I should check it out. Are you alright on your own here?" Rogue opened her mouth to speak, but Jean shook her head and interrupted her. "No, no, you can come with me."

Rogue shrugged and joined the red-headed woman into the elevator, self-consciously pulling on the cuffs of her gloves.

Once they had arrived at Xavier's office, the older mutant called out to them.

"Come in!" he said. Jean walked in, Rogue following close behind. "Ah, Jean, Rogue. I would like for you to meet Jimmy. Jimmy, this is Rogue and Jean."

Jimmy turned around in his seat. He looked about 12, with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair. He smiled tentatively at the two women.

"Hi." He said.

"Jimmy's mutant gift is very interesting." The Professor said, smiling faintly at the boy. "It effectively cancels out another mutants mutation if they are within a foot of the boy."

Rogue's eyes widened. Could it be? Could there be a person in the world she could touch safely?

_Logan, did you hear what he said?_ Rogue asked excitedly.

_Yeah, kid. I did._ Logan said. Rogue grinned at Jimmy.

"Hey, Jimmy." She bit her lip to try to contain her excitement. "I'm sure you'll like it here."

"Thanks." Jimmy said shyly.

"How far does his ability extend to?" Jean asked the Professor. "Is it a foot exactly?"

"I'm not exactly sure." Xavier answered. We don't have any students at the school with an obvious physical manifestation of their powers, so it would be quite hard to find out for certain."

There was a silence in the room before Rogue burst out with, "Can I touch 'im?"

Jimmy looked very confused, so the Professor filled him in on Rogue's ability.

"Rogue is incapable of any human contact, I'm afraid." He told the boy. "If her skin comes in contact with another peron's skin, then she absorbs their life force and memories."

Jimmy's already light skin paled. "Really?" he asked, facing Rogue. She nodded sadly.

"Now, Jimmy, it is perfectly understandable if you don't want her to touch you. There have only been two cases in which her powers were used, and one of them resulted in the recipient being in a coma for three weeks."

_Way to reassure the kid,_ Logan muttered. "I would understand if you wouldn't wanna let me touch you, Jimmy." Rogue said softly, her gaze on the floor. "But I really would 'preciate it you would let me. It's been so long."

There was a short silence, followed by a decisive, "Okay," from Jimmy. Rogue looked up, hopeful.

"Really? You mean it?" Jimmy shrugged and smiled.

"Sure."

Ten minutes later, they were all assembled in the medlab, if worst came to worst. Jean's gloved hands were wrapped around Rogue's arms, ready to pull her away if anything happened. Jimmy and Rogue sat across from each other in chairs.

"You ready?" Jean asked the two younger mutants. Rogue and Jimmy both nodded.

The Professor wheeled so he was sitting to the side of the mutants. "Now, Rogue, Jimmy, if you could both raise your hands..." they complied with his request, both their hands ungloved. Slowly, their fingers began to connect.

Rogue closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable draining feeling... that never came. That never came? She opened one eye and peered at her hand. Yep, it was still touching Jimmy's. She opened the other eye and peered at Jimmy. Yep, he was still conscious. So...

_Kid! Rogue! Marie! You can touch him!_ Logan yelled. Rogue's eyes widened and she slowly broke out into a grin.

_Oh my gosh, Logan! You're right!_ She giggled. She held onto Jimmy's hand for a few moments longer, before flinging her arms around his neck. Yes, he was just a stranger, but she was too happy not to hug someone, and Jimmy was the only person she could touch.

"Ha-ha! Yes! I can touch!" she yelled, jumping around excitedly. Jean laughed, and even Jimmy seemed pleased. Logan came out of the elevator of the medlab a few moments later, confused to see Rogue, who was usually rather sullen, happy and excited and giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Logan! Guess what!" she ran up to him, grinning. Logan raised an eyebrow.

"What, kiddo?"

"I can touch Jimmy! He's got this power, see, that cancels out my power, and I can _finally touch someone_!" Rogue jumped up and down, still grinning wide.

"That's great, kid." Logan said, smiling at the girl as she celebrated with the others.

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**So, your thoughts on the chapter? Good? Bad? In-between?**

**Anything at all, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Yeah, yeah, I know, I suck. I keep waiting for ages to upload and only giving you short chapters - and this is no exception. I'm going away for a few days, what with it being Easter and everything, so I'm not going to be able to update for a while... I'm really sorry! But I promise you that I shall not abandon this story, as I do with too many of my others. It helps that I know that people are reading my stories -- you reviewers are really amazing people. And so are the people who've favourited this story and added it to their alerts... I really hope I'm not letting you guys down!**

**And, don't worry, I'm starting to get to a point with this thing!**

**DISCLAIMER: X-Men, sadly, is not mine. If it were, that would be SO AWESOME!**

* * *

Later that day, after the initial excitement had died down, Jimmy had taken a tour of the mansion and enrolled in the school, Rogue sat with him on a few bean bags in the library, getting to know the boy better.

"So," Jimmy had said, after they had picked apart his life and personality. "Who was that guy before?"

"Who, Logan?" Rogue asked, knowing that Jimmy was referring to when they had discovered earlier in the medlab that she was able to touch him. Jimmy nodded.

"Are you dating him, or what?" he asked. Rogue's cheeks grew scarlet and she looked horrified.

"Wha-no! He's not my... I'm not his... We're not dating!" she hissed, eyes wide. Jimmy raised an eyebrow at her reaction, but said nothing. After a moment, the colour started to fade from Rogue's face and she continued. "I met Logan back in Canada. I was runnin' away from home, lookin' for a place to go, and he took me a road. I was just a hitchiker, an' he was nice enough to give me a ride."

"So how did you guys end up here?" Jimmy asked. Rogue shrugged.

"We... Logan gave me a ride, and along the way, we ran into the X-Men. Long story short, we ended up here." She frowned. "Well, I ended up here. Logan arrived two days later."

"Oh, right." Jimmy nodded, as Kitty burst through the doors of the library.

"Rogue!" she called, waving at her and Jimmy. A librarian appeared quickly by her side and shushed her, before whizzing out of sight. Kitty giggled nervously. "Whoops. Rogue!" she stage whispered now.

"Hey, Kitty." Rogue smiled once Kitty was nearer, and reached behind her for another bean-bag.

"Hi! Oh, hey, who's this? Your brother or something?" Kitty asked, indicating towards Jimmy.

"Nah." Rogue shook her head. "This is Jimmy. He's new here." Kitty grinned at the boy.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jimmy. Hey, Rogue, where were you? You weren't in classes today!"

"Oh. Um, Jean wanted to do a few tests. You know, normal stuff." Rogue said, and then got up hastily. "You know what? It's about lunchtime now... I think I'm going to go get me some food or something."

***

Logan was genuinely happy for Rogue. In the short time she had known him, he knew how much she resented her mutation. Resented her inability to touch. So the fact that she had found someone she wouldn't kill by touching them was a good thing for her.

He made his way to the kitchen, where they had been sitting the previous day, hungry. He was surprised to see Rogue there, rummaging around in the fridge.

"Hey." Logan greeted, stopping to lean against the doorway. Rogue straightened, bumped her head against the top of the fridge, cursed under her breath, and then turned around to face Logan.

"Ow. And hi." Rogue rubbed the top of her head, frowning. "You startled me."

"Sorry, kid." Logan started to walk towards her, taking hold of the fridge door, peering inside for himself. He shook his head in disgust. "There's nothing good here."

"I know." Rogue sighed, opening a few cupboards and examining the contents. "Any luck?"

Logan spent a few more moments in the fridge, but eventually sighed and stood up. "Nope." He opened the freezer, hoping that there might be something he was able to defrost or something. Rogue squealed and ran over to him, leaving the cupboard open and forgotten. She reached past Logan into the freezer, withdrawing a carton of ice-cream. She opened it and grabbed a spoon out of a drawer – second time's a charm - and sat down at the table, all in one smooth motion. Then she simply started digging into the frosty treat.

"What?" she asked, noticing that Logan was staring at her oddly. "I like ice-cream, okay?"

"Sure, sure." Logan said, before reaching into a high cupboard and withdrawing a soda. "Damn school. They should have beer."

"Yeah. 'Sept, as I'm pretty sure you're well aware, it's a _school._ And judgin' by what the you in my head has to say, I don't think that Scott's really the type to down a few beers a day, like you do."

Logan snickered and took a sip of his soda, imagining that it was a beer.

"So," Rogue asked, taking another large spoonful of the ice-cream, "How long are you stayin' for?"

"Staying?" Logan repeated, frowning. "I don't really know. I suppose I could head back up North..." Logan paused upon seeing Rogue's slightly disappointed expression. "But I might stay a little longer." Rogue perked up a little, an almost-smile on her lips. "Cool."

Jean walked in at that moment, wearing a red, low cut top that made Logan stare noticibly and Rogue scowl at the voices in her head. Jean raised an eyebrow at Rogue's expression. "Rogue? Are you ready to continue our tests now?"

"Huh? Oh, sure. Yeah, I'm ready for whatever else I gotta do." Rogue nodded, hopping off of the barstool-like chair she had been sitting on.

"Good." Jean smiled wider, ignoring Logan who was attempting to cover up his painfully obvious fascination with staring at her. "Come on, let's go." She ushered the teenager towards the door, catching snippets of a few of the other students excitedly discussing an upcoming ball.

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**I hope this (short) chapter didn't disappoint! And y'all know the drill - if you want more, review! _HIT THAT GREEN BUTTON!_**


	17. Chapter 17

**I warn you, it's another short one. I suck, I know, but it seems the holidays have actually made me _busier_ than school did. I, apparently, have a social life! News to me, lemme tell ya! Erm, anywho, uhh, I can't think of anything to ramble about. Darn. I do so love rambling.**

**Oh! Happy belated birthday to . I hope you're happy at, well, whatever age you are now.**

**DISCLAIMER: There're many things I don't own. A decent jacket, my own personal island, a pair of matching socks, Hugh Jackman, X-Men... I do, however, own a whole bunch of play-doh. Guess what I'm gonna do for the next few hours?**

* * *

After another hour of filling out forms and having psychological testing done, Rogue was excused from the medlab. She headed gratefully upstairs, only to bump into Kitty, who was walking alongside Bobby and John.

"Uh..." Rogue started as John hit her with a death glare. Bobby shifted uncomfortably.

_You just gonna let that jerk try and glare you to death?_ Logan asked incredulously, sounding outraged by the very idea. Rogue narrowed her eyes at John for an instant, but didn't glare back as was so tempting.

"Hey!" Kitty smiled cheerily. Rogue nodded. "Is your testing with Miss Grey done?"

"Oh, yeah. Just had a whole lot of psychological testin' and stuff to do, but I'm done now." Rogue smiled at her roommate.

"I knew she was psycho." John muttered to Bobby, too soft for Kitty to hear, but Rogue heard him loud and clear.

_What did he just say?_ Logan growled instinctively. Rogue averted her attention to John, growling slightly. Kitty raised her eyebrows, glancing from Rogue to John and back.

"What did you just say?" Rogue spat through gritted teeth. John smirked, toying with his lighter.

"What's going on here?" Kitty asked, frowning in confusion. John said nothing, just continuing to flick his lighter open and closed. Then, after a long, tension-filled pause, he broke into a slow grin.

"You heard me. I said you were psychotic." Kitty gasped, as John continued. "And it's true, isn't it? I mean, you had all those tests done... you _must_ be crazy."

"Come on, man." Bobby pulled on John's sleeve. "That's taking it too far."

"You have no right to judge me, boy." Rogue glared at the pyrokinetic mutant, the Logan personality in her head threatening to take over.

_Come on... just a quick touch. Just take off one glove, lay one finger on him..._

_No! Logan, I can't have him in my head. He'd drive me crazy._

_Kid, it's probably the only way he's going to back down._

"I'm not afraid of you." John scoffed. Rogue's eyes widened and adopted an angry edge.

"You should be." She peeled off a glove, advancing on John.

_Here goes nothin'... _Rogue thought, closing her eyes. She reached up and pressed her hand against John's face, feeling that horrible draining, sucking feeling.

***

Jean ran straight into Logan, looking worried.

"Logan! Do you know where Rogue is?" she asked. Logan frowned.

"No, why? Is there something wrong?" he asked. Jean shook her head.

"I don't know. I caught part of a telepathic message, from Kitty, but it was so hard to make out what she said... Something about Rogue being angry or something..." her eyes widened. "Oh no! She's taking her gloves off, she's–"

Logan cut her off mid freak-out with a sharp, "Lead the way." They made their way hurriedly through the halls, their concern growing with each passing moment. Finally, they found the young mutants, just as John was falling backwards. Jean leapt forward to catch him, not wanting him to sustain any injuriues – apart from the obvious, of course.

Logan, on the other hand, pushed past a very panicky Kitty and a confused and frightened Bobby to where Rogue was standing, eyes closed, leaning against a wall.

"Rogue? Rogue, come on. Are you okay? Kid!" Logan placed his hands on the girl's shoulders, searching her face for any signs of pain. Behind him, Bobby exploded.

"What? What just happened there? What's wrong with John? And–" he was interrupted by Logan spinning around, unsheathing one set of claws and waving them in Bobby's general direction.

"Shut it, bub." Logan threatened, and then turned back to Rogue, who was looking at him through bleary eyes.

"Logan... I can feel 'im in my _head_, and he's... Oh, _God,_ Logan, what have I done?" Rogue sobbed shaking her head. Logan shushed her and pulled her closer to him.

"Shh, kid. Just calm down, and tell me what happened." He soothed, rocking Rogue, who was still crying into his chest. "Shh, Marie. I'm here for you."

After a few minutes, Rogue had finally calmed down enough to start to explain what was happening.

"I was just... I came back from the testin'. It was psychological testin', an' I ran into Kitty and Bobby an' John, an' then John, he called me psycho, an' I don't know, I guess," Rogue rambled, "I guess you just got mad."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "_I_ got mad, kid?"

"The you, in my head... An' then I just kinda got mad too, and then... Oh, _God,_ John's right, isn't he? I'm crazy. I'm a freak!"

"Hey, hey. Hey." Logan leaned down slightly so he could look Rogue in the face. He put his hands back on her shoulders, and kept his gaze locked on her face, until their eyes made contact; her confused, scared and upset deep brown ones and his hazel, calculating and concerned ones. "You're not a freak. No more a freak than I am, in any case. And we freaks gotta stick together, alright?"

Rogue blinked slowly, looking doubtful, but still she nodded. "Ye-yeah. I s'pose we gotta." She sniffed. "Thanks, Logan."

Logan studied her face a moment longer, before releasing her again and standing up straight. "Anytime, kid." He turned around to face Bobby, who was looking frightened, Jean, who was probably telepathically communicating with _somebody_, judging by her I've-got-a-really-hard-maths-equation-and-I-lost-my-calculator expression, and Kitty who was just standing there, staring, mouth wide open.

* * *

**Ah, funtimes. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's 7 minutes past the time when I promised I'd be in bed latest by.**

**...And judging by that sentence, I should sleep. Soon.**

_**HIT THAT, ER, FORMERLY GREEN BUTTON!**_


	18. Chapter 18

**Woo-hoo! Another chapter! And an _almost_ decent-sized one, too! Sorry for the wait, guys. Blame my mother - she borrowed the first season of Scrubs, and I've been watching it so much... Ahh, fun. Anywho, I hope you guys aren't getting bored of me yet.**

**DISCLAIMER: I doubt any of you actually believe I own the X-Men. Do you? Didn't think so!**

_

* * *

What the hell happened?! _A new voice yelled inside of Rogue's mind. She could feel her head throbbing, as it often did after the onslaught of memories that came with her powers.

_J-John? Is that... is that you?_ She asked, her brow creasing. The new voice yelled in response.

_Freak! What did you do to me!_

_John, please, it was just my power, I can't control it! I do somethin' like absorb a persons life force or somethin'. It's hard to explain._

_Oh, my God. You're a freak. You're a freak, freak, freak, freak, freak... _John was interrupted in his disgusted ramblings.

_Don't you dare speak to her like that, bub._ Logan snarled. Rogue could imagine John reeling back in surprise, as his mental self was probably doing. Rogue could even hear Logans claws come out in her mind.

_What the hell, Rogue! What! The! Hell!_

_Uh, John, this is my friend, Logan. Logan, this is– _Rogue started.

_Yeah, I know who this is._ Logan said, and it was clear that that was not a good thing. At all.

John backed up against an imaginary wall. _Uhh... _he said nervously, trying to look for a place to escape to.

_No good. We're in her mind._ Logan said, gesturing to the area of blackness surrounding them. Rogue frowned.

_It's true, John. You are in Rogue's mind, along with Logan. _Jean's voice joined the crowd of personalities.

_Oh, goody. _Rogue muttered sarcastically. _More voices in my head._ Her headache increased it's intensity a little.

_I'm just going to explain to John about this... situation._ Jean assured her. Rogue nodded in her mind, but sighed.

_Well, could you at least do it a little more quietly?__ I've got a killer headache._ Jean complied, and all Rogue could hear were faint whisperings in the back of her mind. Which was unnerving, sure, but a lot better than talking would be. After a few moments, however, the quiet was broken.

_I'm sorry. That was my fault._ Logan apologized.

_Yeah, it totally was your fault. But, I suppose, I'm gonna have to forgive you._Rogue smiled softly. _Buuuut, I'm definitely gonna have to do somethin' to restrain you. If not for eveyone else, for me, at least. John's gonna drive me insane!_

***

Logan, Jean, Rogue and Xavier were gathered in Xavier's office. Rogue was seated in an armchair, her expression changing every few moments, as if responding to a conversation that no-one else could hear. Jean bent down in front of Rogue for a few moments, that concentrating look on her face once more.

"What's she doing?" Logan asked, indicating towards Jean with his head. He stood with his arms crossed, a generally irritated expression on his face.

"Jean's trying to calm down the personalities in Rogue's mind. John doesn't like the situation very much. Unlike you, who adjusted very well." The Professor explained.

"Yeah, yeah. How long is he gonna be in her head?" Logan moved forward slightly. The professor smiled his gentle smile.

"It's hard to say. It won't be permanent. Most likely a few days, if that long. In the meantime Jean and I will work with Rogue and try to establish mental boundaries, so that if she ever touches someone else, she may be able to restrain their personality."

Logan looked at the older man, an eyebrow raised.

"Rogue is handling having you as a part of her mind very well, considering her age, but it's only a matter of time – or people – before the strain becomes too much."

"Are you talking about a nervous breakdown or something?"

"Something to that effect, yes." The Professor said gravely. "So we'll try to prevent that from happening."

"Good, good." Logan said, nodding. He turned slightly so he could face Rogue better, his usual irritated/irked/indifferent expression slipping slightly to show the concern he felt for this young girl.

***

Eventually, Rogue felt Jean's presence leave her mind, yet John was still quiet. Rogue was, however, not happy with the fact that he was even in her mind.

_Why? Why did I have to do that?_ she asked hopelessly.

_In your defence, he _is_ a jerk. _Logan piped up. Rogue glared at him mentally.  
_Now, that's just not nice! _John said.

_Watch it, flame-o, or I'm gonna have to __slice you._ Logan threatened.

_Can you even do that? I mean, this is all in my head. Can anyone feel pain here?_ Rogue wondered. Logan smirked and popped his claws, giving John a small cut before either John or Rogue could protest.

_Ow! That hurt!_ John moaned. Rogue was torn between scolding Logan, or telling John to suck it up. In the end she did neither, upon hearing something else.

"Professor! I heard about what happened. Where's Jean?" Storm's voice broke through, sounding faint, like a radio station with bad reception.

_What? We're with the Professor?_ Rogue asked. _When did that happen?_

_A while ago. __My guess is you've just been busy trying to ignore John-_

_I'm still here!_

_-and haven't noticed you were being moved._ Logan said.

"Jean's taking care of John. He's regained consciousness already." The Professor explained. Rogue blinked a few times, her head still hurting, but otherwise feeling okay. Ish. Heavy on the ish.

"Oh, Rogue!" Storm rushed towards the girl as soon as she smiled weakly. She crouched down so that she was level with the young mutant, placing a hand on her arm. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm so sorry, guys, I just, I don't know, I snapped." Rogue apologized, looking down. "I understand if you don't want me to live at the school anymore. I didn't even unpack that much, so-"

"That won't be necessary, Rogue." Xavier interrupted. "I want to help you with your mutation. You are welcome to stay here as long as you please."

Rogue smiled at the older mutant gratefully. "Thank you so much, Professor. Really." She said.

"Now, you'd probably slip back to your room now." Professor Xavier said. "The rest of the students will probably want to ask you what has happened."

_Oh, goody.

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_**So, come on, guys! That one wasn't too bad, was it? Don't forget to hit that link with the speech bubble next to... it... Nope, doesn't flow as well as 'that green button'. Oh well!**

**Also, Milly, if you're reading this, show me your new hair colour! I ran into your mum at the shops, and she told me that you coloured your hair again.**

**Ahh, I'm probably boring you. So I'ma ske-daddle now. Bye!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry. Sorry. Sorry! It's been AGES since my last update, and this is only a short chapter, and school's starting again, and I'm really sorry! I just wanted to thank everyone that's reviewed and added my story to their favourites and their story alerts and all that jazz. And, I apologize again, because updates are probably gonna be even MORE irregular because I think my muse ran away with the little hedgehog I teased a few nights ago. I know, teasing a hedgehog, I'm a horrible person. ANYHOW, on with the show!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. X-Men = something, thus I don't own it, seeing as I own nothing.**

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By some miracle, Rogue managed to make it to her room without bumping into any of the other students. Closing the door behind her, she walked over to her bed and jumped onto it, hiding her face in the pillows before she registered the fact that there was someone else in the room.

"Hi, Kitty." Rogue mumbled without looking up. Her head was still hurting, and she was finding it hard to concentrate on anything other than Logan and John fighting in her head.

"Ohmigod, I mean, Rogue, like, what was that out there, it was like, I don't know, it was just-" Kitty squealed, speaking very fast and in a very high pitched voice. Rogue groaned and rolled over on her bed, grabbing a pillow and throwing it across the room.

"That was my power." She said, her eyes still closed. "I can't touch anyone."

"Oh." Kitty said. "I'm sorry."

Rogue propped herself up on her elbows and opened one eye. "No, you're not. You don't know what it's like not to be able to touch anyone. Unless you're an empath, which I'm fairly certain you're not." She sighed. "When Storm said I had a skin condition earlier, it was a cover. I didn't want anyone to know about my power."

"But why not? We could've, like, prepared ourselves, you know, trying to avoid-"

"Don't you get it? That's what I didn't want to happen. Storm and Jean know about my mutation, an' they're always checkin' that I'm covered before they even _try_ an' touch me."

"But what about Jimmy? That kid?" Kitty asked, leaning forwards eagerly. Rogue had a feeling that Kitty was going to repeat what she was saying, but she didn't really care.

"His mutant power cancels out other powers. So when I'm within a foot of Jimmy, I become a normal person. No powers. Nothing."

"What about that freaky dude?" Kitty asked. "Does he know?"

"Who, Logan?" Rogue asked. Kitty nodded. "Yeah, he knows." Rogue said softly. "When I ran away from home, I was hitchikin'. Logan gave me a ride, seein' as he's a mutant, too. Then, something kind of went wrong, and I used my power on 'im."

_So that's why Mr. Psycho is up here in your mind, too!_John said.

_John? Shut up._

"What- why?" Kitty asked, shocked. "Didn't you know what your power did?"

"No, I knew." Rogue said grimly. "Actually, I'd rather not talk about this anymore, if you don't mind. It's a sensitive subject."

"Oh, sure, sure. Fine." Kitty nodded, looking disappointed. They sat in silence for a few moments, before the two personalities taking residence in Rogue's mind decided to speak.

_Come on. Tell her you're a freak. That way everyone will know what you are…_ John taunted.

_JOHN! Shut the hell up, okay?_

Kitty and Rogue sat in silence on opposite sides of their room, Kitty inspecting her nails and Rogue staring out the window. After a few minutes, Kitty checked her watch, said something about meeting friends, and left the room, phasing smoothly through the wall to the side of the door.

_Rogue, Marie, honey, are you all right? _Logan asked.

_Why wouldn't I be? I was the one who drained _him,_ not the other way 'round!_

_Exactly. _John agreed.

_Shut up. _Logan growled. _But honestly, how are you?_

_I'm good, Logan. _Rogue reassured, before taking in her room. She'd already gotten used to it in the week she'd been at the mansion. Not that she'd unpacked, but she could imagine it perfectly when she closed her eyes – the curtains, Kitty's magazines on her bedside table, the mirrors, the door connecting to the bathroom, the candles... Wait, candles?

_Flames. _The word was a whisper in Rogue's mind, spoken in both her voice and John's. She felt a small smile form on her face, everything else forgotten as a foreign feeling guided her forwards, towards the candles that Kitty had left lit.

_Rogue…? _Logan's voice barely managed to break through the trance-like state Rogue was in, and even then, she ignored it. She reached the candles and stood there for a moment, unsure as to what she was going to do next.

_Reach out. Go on, touch it. Touch the fire._ John's voice coaxed. Rogue, fuelled by a desire not her own, extended her hand so that her fingertips were tantalizingly close to the fire. Then, all of a sudden, the flame grew, at least tripling in size. Startled, Rogue moved back, her hand still out in front of her, but the flame followed, hovering just above her fingers.

_That's it. Make it bigger, watch the flame grow… _John's voice continued on. Logan tried his luck, too.

_Rogue, no, snap out of this! This is not you. This is him, that idiot that's invaded your mind._

With those words, the flame in Rogue's hand vanished, and she broke out of the spell the fire had cast on her. Shaking her head, she walked over to the candles and blew the flames out.

"Ugh. I don't like candles anymore..." she muttered, heading back to her bed, trying to block the voices from her mind, or better yet, to actually _sleep.

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_**There. I apologize once more, and now I'm going to head to bed because I'm knackered and I need to get up early tomorrow. Please review; it gives me the ego boost I need, especially after seeing your former best friend that you fell out of contact with and haven't seen in a few years. But here's the catch; she had no idea who you were. I know. Ouch.**


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